A Planet In Darkness
by Legion89
Summary: Leading on from the comics by Egmont Fleetway. Sonic and co. return to the Floating Island' s resting place beneath the waves. Meanwhile, old enemies plot in the shadows. Beset on all sides, can Mobius survive its darkest hour? R&R.
1. Prologue: Darkness In Waiting

The Special Zone. A chaotic Universe where the only known habitable area is Planet Meridian. Down in the depths of the twisting streets of its capital, New Tek City, the Chaotix Crew works to keep crime under control. Ever since the destruction of the Brotherhood of Metallix, the world has known peace. However, there is one place in this land where even the Chaotix Crew fear to tread. A place even the mad Lord Sidewinder steers clear of, along with his cronies. Where no one has gone for eight years.  
  
Deep within the shifting colours in the void, it drifted. Its metallic egg-like bulk spiralled slowly on its endless course of the world, the paintwork flaking off in places, rust beginning to creep along its once majestic bulk. The huge pit in the front of the object swivelled as chunks of long-dead planet smashed against it. The large egg-like pods orbiting the object drifted a few feet from destruction at the hands of Meridian's large gravity well. The Meridian Police had hastily patched up a gaping hole in its side after fears that the station may plunge onto the planet's surface. As it swivelled again it showed a conical head, with huge lips and large ginger moustaches. The picture of Dr. Ivo Robotnik was frayed and torn, parts of the picture caught by an invisible wind fluttering in the emptiness. It had been Robotnik's base in the Special Zone, abandoned after the construction of Citadel Robotnik. Claimed by the Brotherhood of Metallix it had served as their hideout until their destruction. And now it would again hold a threat to Mobius. But this time, it would be a threat that would almost certainly doom Planet Mobius.  
  
Inside its twisting corridors and winding staircases, something stirred. Creeping through the shadows the humanoid shape seemed to blend into the darkness, a long flowing cloak outlined behind it. Drifting into the huge circular chamber at the heart of the space station it threw its arms up. Then, as if realising there was no one in the room it lowered the spindly limbs again. Moving over to a rusted panel on the wall it dug its fingers in and slowly dragged the small shutter up, the whole structure creaking with the strain. Suddenly the grill shot up and the figure stumbled. Regaining its posture it traced a pointed finger around the large red button embedded in the wall. Clenching its hand into a fist it punched the switch, throwing long-dormant machinery into action. The entire station groaned as mechanisms not used for years sprung into motion, the entire room vibrating. As the creaks grew louder two points of red light appeared in the darkness. Followed by another pair, and another. As the pairs of light flickered into action around the room the figure walked to face them. Throwing its arms up it seemed to bask in the faint glow.  
  
"Brothers! Our time has come!"  
  
Planet Drak. Homeworld of the mighty Drakon Empire, it more resembles an asteroid in shape. On its surface, the fish-like race known as the Drakons roam in their bio suits, which allow them to travel on the land that covers most of the planet. The empire's architecture is similar to the building located in the Marble and Aquatic Ruins Zones on Mobius. Hardly surprising, as those zones were colony of the mighty empire during the Great War between the Echidnas and the Empire. After Robotnik's attempt to use Planet Drak's native Flickies as power sources the Drakon Empire returned to Mobius, in search of the Chaos Emeralds, which they had created and had been stolen by the Echidna's. After being betrayed by Grimer the Empire retreated. However, now the Empire prepares for war once again. The second Great War is about to begin, and this is one conflict they are not prepared to lose.  
  
Emperor Ko-Door, leader of the House of War, glared up at the imposing shape of the Drakon Capital Building. His polished black helmet, rimmed with gold and enhanced by two golden prongs that struck out to either side, was miss-coloured by the dull red light of the planet's sun. His bright white eyes stared out of an emerald green face, his long pointed chin sticking down from below a toothless mouth. His long purple cloak trailed behind him, one corner gripped by a large hand, gloved. His belt showed the symbol of the Drakonian House of War and his legs were sheathed in a layer of think steel, gold patterns running across its surface. Behind him stood two Sentinel bodyguards. Crafted from the planet itself the mechanised soldiers stood long stone staffs clutched in their huge hands. Clutching his own hooked staff, Ko-Door advanced into the building.  
  
"Let this emergency meeting of the Drakon Council begin!" The representative from the House of Diplomacy stepped down after delivering his speech, as the next representative stepped up. "Representing the House of Knowledge we have Master Scholar." The tall and thin Drakon stepped up, his helmet towering above him; his spectacles perched up his jutting lips. Raising his ornate staff high into the air he brought it down with a crack. A student of the House ran to attend him, his eager eyes dulled by one look from his Master. The representative did not let that faze him. "Representing the House of Magic we have Sister Haggra." An ugly Drakon with a jutting bottom lip stalked out, her staff crowned by a small rat skull. The symbol of her House was emblazoned upon her forehead and her jutting forehead framed her eyes, glaring with an unnatural hatred. Four blunt teeth stuck out of her bottom lip and her grey hair framed her head like a lion's mane. Behind her a student of the House of Magic stood, holding some sort of ornate bowl, rimmed with gold and jewels. The representative waited for Haggra to take her place before continuing. "And representing the last ruling House, the House of War, we have Emperor Ko-Door."  
  
Ko-Door shivered. He had been dreading this moment. Surely his dealing with the Mobian Robotnik would be unearthed. His plan to use the Emeralds for himself would be found out. Gritting his teeth he advanced, two Sentinels on either side. Stepping onto the pedestal he faced the leaders of the other two ruling Houses. He had lied to both of them. If they found out he would be doomed. He watched as the leader of the House of Diplomacy stepped up, his long cloak spread wide, lit by the dull red glow of the planet's sun. Lighting units were forbidden inside the Capital Building, and that meant they had to make do with the glow their sun had recently taken on. That star was dying, and with its death Planet Drak would follow. He watched the head of the House of Diplomacy, what was his name again, take up his staff, crafted with runes of peace. Dosaer, that was his name, looked around at the assembled masses.  
  
"Let this emergency meeting of the Drakon Council finally begin." Dosaer stepped down as the three leaders began talking.  
  
"It is quite clear what our best, and only course of action is to find the Chaos Emeralds." Sister Haggra had issued that statement. Ko-Door scowled. If she found out she would have his hide. Master Scholar stepped up, holding a sheet of paper in his gloved hand.  
  
"But the Emeralds were stolen many millennia ago by the Echidna tribes of Mobius, he said. Haggra sneered as the scholar stepped down. Here was an animosity between the two Houses. Both stood for conflicting ideas, and neither had been happy when the other had also become a ruling House. Ko- Door coughed and stepped forwards. It was now or never.  
  
"As we seem decided on our course of action," he said, waiting as Brother Scholar spluttered. He still had his doubts. "I have unearthed a lead to the Emerald's whereabouts." He smiled as sister Haggra leapt round, eyes wide. She seemed appalled that a House dedicated to barbaric battle could find something her House could not. "Actually, that's not entirely true. I know exactly where they are." Sister Haggra snatched up her staff at that last comment, and seemed ready to throw it at him.  
  
"If you knew then why didn't you tell us?" she bawled. Ko-Door ducked as the wizened old hag snatched up one of Master Scholar's old books with her powers and threw it at him with a force that could have shattered solid steel like glass.  
  
"Because I wasn't sure about my information until mere minutes before this meeting." That would cover for him. He decided that baiting Haggra was not a wise idea and quickly went on. "They are on the Floating island on Planet Mobius." Sister Haggra paused in the middle of another throw, then looked around and calmly put the book down.  
  
"Then we know what we must do?" Ko-Door nodded at Haggra's question.  
  
"Yes. Soon the Drakon Empire will return to the field of battle. Planet Mobius will burn and we will reclaimed what is rightfully ours!"  
  
The ensuing cheers drowned out Haggra's shouts as Ko-Door walked away. That had gone much better than expected.  
  
The Mystic Cave Zone. A tropical cave that served, and still serves as a link between the mountainous Hill Top Zone and Dr. Robotnik's huge oil- facilities in the Oil Ocean Zone it was captured by Robotnik during the six months while Sonic was trapped in the Omni-Viewer. Installing his Badniks and traps he charged a toll for passage, which was profitable for him as it was the only safe route through the Hill Top mountain ranges. After Robotnik's defeat the Metropolis police set about dismantling the various traps in the caves. As all the Badniks had been deactivated in the EMP produced by Super Sonic's escape from the huge Black Asteroid Sonic did not have to be called in. As the caverns returned to relative normality the police forces withdrew. With that withdrawal came a new threat. The third threat to Planet Mobius had come. And it had come with a vengeance.  
  
The blinking screens and flashing lights of the lair threw their owner's shadow across the walls. As the figure moved, various screens switched to show a picture of the calm Mobian Sea.  
  
"Yes," rasped a dry voice. "That is where the Floating Island went down. Finally I will get my hands on my emeralds." The figure punched a button on the panels before him and the screens and lights winked out, plunging the cavern into darkness.  
  
"Finally I will have my vengeance!" 


	2. Chapter I: Calm Before The Storm

South Island. This large island in the Mobian Sea is the location of Mobius' many Hill Zone, the Green and Emerald among them. At the very northern edge of the island lies the ice formation known as the North Cave. As the tip of South Island lies in the frigid Northern Seas the area around the North Cave is covered in a blanket of snow and ice. In times gone by, during the rule of Robotnik for example, this Cave was the resting-place of seven of, at that time, 14 Emeralds, the other seven being guarded by Knuckles on the Floating Island. This cave was perfect for this job, as the freezing waters within the cave were able to control the Emerald's energy and stop them from returning to the Special Zone.  
  
But our story does not concern the North Cave, as its duty has already been fulfilled. The next chapter of this story takes place in that most famous of the zones.  
  
The Emerald Hill Zone. Situated on the coast of South Island it is known for its wide, open beaches, and clear, blue seas. However, the locals forbid the building of tourist resorts on these natural wonders, as the buildings would spoil the view. The Zone is also known for its bizarre rock formations. Top Mobian scientists believe that the famous Mobian Corkscrews and Loop-the-Loops are the result of volcanic activity. Although, there is still much dispute over that. During the time of Robotnik the Zone was filled with pitfalls and traps, not to mention Badniks. However, since the explosion of the Black Asteroid as the resultant revolt to oust the cruel dictator the traps have been removed, the pitfalls filled in and all Badnik wreckage removed. However, there is one place in the Zone, which played an important role in the defence of Mobius.  
  
The Emerald Village. Built by the native people using the bizarre properties of the Zone's trees and plant-life. What's so special about the trees you ask? Well, they very big and very wide. In fact, every home in the Emerald Hill is built inside the trunks of these massive trees, using the plant's natural growths as windows and doors. During the exile in the time between the destruction of the Death Egg and the defeat of Robotnik, the Emerald Hill folk used their skills to create homes in the huge mushrooms that covered the Mushroom Hill Zone on the Floating Island. The island has long since disappeared, after its destruction by the Chaos creature. One of the Emerald Hill's houses was, and still is used by Sonic as a base. From the outside it looks like any other. Well, if you ignore the satellite network and power cables that criss-cross the structure. But inside, the beginning of Planet Mobius' next adventure was about to take place.  
  
Sonic buried his face in his magazine, propping his legs up on the circular console in the centre of the room. Flicking through the brightly- coloured pages he grunted in disgust and placed it on a rapidly growing pile on the floor next to him, before taking up another from a rapidly shrinking pile on his other side. On the other side of the room Porker was fiddling with one of the control panels on the expansive console that ran around the edge of the upper base. Looking over to his right Sonic nodded. The door to the lower base was still closed. Knuckles hadn't come out of there much since two months ago, when Tails managed to find the old chest of diagrams and blueprints for the Floating Island's computer screens. Everyone had though it lost when the Floating island had plunged into the ocean, and the fact that this had survived was a good sign to the red echidna. Down in the bowels of the Headquarters lay Porker's lab, and the rooms for most of the Freedom fighters. Knuckles had occupied Johnny Lightfoot's room after the rabbit's death at the hands of the Chaos creature. Sonic sighed and picked up a chilli dog from the tray next to him, perched precariously on the bumpy Kintobor console. Tails had recently left on his morning patrol of the Zone. In fact, thought Sonic, looking down at his watch, the fox should be back right around.  
  
He'd hardly finished his thought when Tail burst through the door, tripping over Porker on the way. As the two tumbled head over heels Sonic scowled. Standing up he placed one foot on Tails' back to stop him. As the two picked themselves up Sonic returned to his swivel chair, giving it a little spin, before being dumped on his backside as the whole contraption collapsed beneath him. Dusting himself off Sonic walked over to where Tails was getting up.  
  
"What's the rush, pixel-brain?" he asked. The fox leapt up and Sonic had to put one hand on his shoulder to calm him down.  
  
"Sonic! I was talking to some of the Emerald Hill folk, and I heard that there's trouble in Metropolis City!" Sonic took the information in calmly, then walked over to his demolished chair and flicked a switch on the command console. The unwieldy holographic-projector mounted on the wall sprung into lights, bleeps and clanks emanating from its surface as wheels inside the lens began to turn. Above the central console a face appeared. The face of Doctor Ovi Kintobor. The good doctor had created the Kintobor computer some time before the explosion that combined the Chaos energy of the Emeralds, a rotten egg and the unlucky professor to form the twisted Doctor Ivo Robotnik. As the face turned to Sonic, Porker turned on the computer's voice-recognition systems.  
  
"Hey, Kintobor. Have your sensors picked up any trouble in Metropolis City?" The computer turned to Porker and nodded. A large monitor hung from one of the walls lit up, showing a familiar picture. Badniks swarmed in the streets, chasing citizens up alleyways, into buildings. Sonic slammed his fist down on the table.  
  
"Porker, ready the hover units. It looks very much like D.R.A.T.'s up to its old tricks." The pig nodded, running into the closed door to his lab, and the underground hanger that also held Tails' biplane, which had taken a well-earned rest after Porker invented the new units. They had first been used in the first battle with the Chaos creature, which had obviously had a big effect on the history and geography of Mobius. As Sonic watched an old Batbot flutter past on the screen he wondered how the members of the 'Doctor Robotnik Appreciation Tribe' could be so blind. Their 'leader' had gone insane. Why did they keep doing this?  
  
Shaking his head, Sonic ran to join his friends in the hanger. 


	3. Chapter II: Introduction for a Madman

The Dark Dimension. An empty world, devoid of life, this place has been the birthplace of many evils that have plagued the multiverse. Formed from the darkness itself, these twisted creatures are kept in the Dimension until they reach maturity, when they are forcefully ejected out into the living world. The world is formed of a strange, putty-like substance, which can be shaped by the mere thoughts of a living creature's mind. Bustling cities, mighty fortresses, even planets and moons, have been formed out of the rock. In fact, everything that comes from this world is made of this substance. However, once they exit the world the substance's properties wear off, and they solidify, ready to wreak havoc on the civilised worlds outside the land.  
  
It is very difficult to access this dark realm from outside, and understandably few have tried. It was just by pure fluke that its latest inhabitant was delivered here. And this twisted; maddened individual has dwelt here for two years. And this has certainly left its mark on the otherwise bland landscape.  
  
In one corner of the land, the earth rose up, as if some great object from the black, lifeless sky above had struck the land, forcing it up into a crater. Over the top, a bridge of earth stretched across the crater, into the far distance. And silhouetted against the black sky stretched a black castle, spikes jutting out in gravity-defying directions. Appearing to be made of polished obsidian it seemed to absorb the meagre light in the dark land. Not even lightning flashed in this land, the only light coming from one weak star in the space above. What was strangest though, was that this castle seemed to defy gravity, hovering over the yawning chasm below. And inside, madness was festering. The seeds of madness, placed there two years ago, had finally taken fruit. And so, the last threat to Planet Mobius is revealed.  
  
The figure sitting in the huge, stone throne gave the most threat to the centre room of the castle. Below the bald, conical head rested two small eyes, black with red pupils rested above a large, crimson nose. Two long ginger moustaches protruded from this bizarre organ. Below that, a huge bottom lip stuck out from below the large nose, blunt teeth visible behind. The evil Doctor Robotnik brooded on the throne, mad eyes staring out of the face. He was wearing his traditional uniform, four strips of gold coming from top, bottom, left and right to meet in the middle as a circle of yellow. The top halves of this were coloured red, the bottom a deep black. Hanging off a gothic gargoyle statue was his coat, or the 'Eggman Uniform' as he had dubbed it. It was a measure of his madness that he had taken to using Sonic's old insults as acceptable nicknames. One black gloved hand rested on the arm of the huge throne, stroking a small control panel in the stonework. Ever since Grimer had left him he had sat like this, only eating when his robots brought food. His gaze pierced the shadows of the room, and seemed able to literally crumble the walls themselves as he moulded the castle to a new shape, one wall falling in on command. An old 'Grounder' Badnik fell over in fright just as the wall buried it, sending its drill- like nose rolling across the floor to rest by one of the Doctor's black boots.  
  
Yes, this was the last threat to Mobius. Madness, and hate, would cause more trouble than any of the rest. Soon Mobius would tremble under the tracks of invasion, from two sides at once.  
  
And meanwhile, shadowy figures lurk in the background. Ready to take advantage of the upcoming chaos. 


	4. Chapter III: Metropolis City

Metropolis City. Founded five years before the creation of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, it had originally been intended as a settlement on the coast of the great South Sea. After the creation of Robotnik, and his subsequent capture of Metropolis' sister city, Twilight City, the people of Metropolis began using Kintobor's old technology to fortify their home. However, this all played into Robotnik's hands as he captured the city using his Robotic Trooper Badniks, while Sonic was trapped in the Omni-Viewer. Building a huge factory near the centre of the city he constructed the Death Egg Mk. I in its walls. After launching the deadly satellite he left the Metropolis City Zone for months, after the explosions on his Death Egg which catapulted him and his precious satellite into the mythical Floating Island. After the destruction of the Death Egg Mk. II he had a mighty citadel built in the centre of the city, crafted in his own image. He ruled Mobius from here until the detonation of the Black Asteroid, which resulted in the collapse of the citadel. Since then the City has faced many threats from the foolish D.R.A.T. organisation, and numerous take-over attempts from the Doctor himself. However, now it will become a venue, in the defence of Mobius from an ultimate threat.  
  
Grand Master Quixol smirked as his Badnik army swarmed over the suburbs of Metropolis City. With an army this size, they would finally win back the great Doctor's city from the ungrateful wretches that dwelt within its winding streets. Not one of these heretic's buildings would stand after this. Every one would fall to make way for the glorious return of Robotnik! The D.R.A.T. leader ruffled his feathers and turned to a spindly colleague, who was bent over a small laptop.  
  
"How goes the attack Brother Norman?" The spindly scientist looked up, then back down as the screen. Small yellow arrows streaked between black oblongs and spheres, while red arrows poured forth to try and halt them.  
  
"All according to plan Grand Master." The chicken-like leader clucked quietly to himself as he returned to look at the battlefield. He smirked and ran one wing over the railing in front of the window. This old invention of Robotnik's was perfect! A burrowing metal sphere, walls lined with Metagel, the strongest metal on Mobius, or anywhere for that matter! From here they could direct the attack in perfect safety. He watched as a lone Spikebonker drifted past, a large spiked ball hovering around its form. He frowned. The Badnik was moving strangely, as if off balance. As it turned to the screen the Grand Master finally realised what was happening. With a squawk he flung himself away from the glass as the Badnik exploded, shattering the transparent material. Brother Norman cried out and fell to the floor, blood flowing from a gash in his arm. As the last shards of glass fell to the floor, Quixol staggered back to the window. Propping himself up on the handrail he could only stare at the scene before him.  
  
Sonic laughed as another Badnik exploded, igniting its temporary battery and detonated in a cloud of thick black smoke. It had been ages since he had last fought a good old-fashioned Badnik, as Robotnik had gone mysteriously quiet and D.R.A.T. had been experimenting with new types of Badnik. Ducking under a Crabmeat's attack he kicked the crab Badnik in the face, sending it reeling. As he turned to finish it off, he felt something hit him from behind and fell headfirst into the puddle in front of him. The Crabmeat recovered and smiled at the Orbinaut that had saved it, before turning back to the prostrate form of the hedgehog. Raising one claw above its head it bean to charge another fireball. It placed one heatproof leg on Sonic's back and lowered the limb until it was hovering above his head. It smiled then began the release process.  
  
As the Orbinaut watched, the Crabmeat was lifted off its feet by what seemed to be an invisible force, and was flung down the street. As it sailed past, a bemused look on its face, the spherical Badnik noticed the cause of its comrade's defeat. One small arrow was sticking right through the Badnik. Turning it snarled at Amy Rose as she lifted her crossbow a second time. Throwing one of the orbiting spikeballs at her it smiled at the horrified look on the pink hedgehog's face as it hurtled towards her.  
  
An orange streak came as if out of nowhere, knocking the deadly projectile back the way it had come. The Orbinaut only had enough time to register some very colourful four-letter words before the spiked ball struck, smashing the unfortunate Badnik into tiny pieces of scrap metal.  
  
Tails breathed a sigh of relief as he descended towards Sonic's body. Smiling he watched as the hedgehog pulled himself up, rubbing the back of his head. He was OK.  
  
"Owwwwww. Did someone get the number of that truck?" Sonic said, dusting himself off. "Hey Tails, do we know where these Badniks are being controlled from?" Tails nodded as Porker descended in one of the new Air Cars he had created, head bent over a computer screen.  
  
"As a matter of fact, we do Sonic," said Porker, calling up a holo-map of the city. Pointing to the map he nodded as a flashing red X lit up in the City Centre. "That's where the signals originate fro." He didn't have a chance to finish, as Sonic was already a speck on the cloudy horizon. Shaking his head, Porker activated the Air Car to pursue him as the others gave chase.  
  
Quixol snarled and pushed Norman's corpse away, tipping it out into the bowels of the robot. He could direct the attack without him. Punching up a holo-map he snarled as he noticed four new shapes converging on his position. Sonic and his meddling friends seemed to take offence to his attack. Punching a few buttons he directed the Badnik army back towards the centre of the city. He turned to view the inevitable destruction of Sonic.  
  
He watched as a blue streak came into view, travelling at tremendous speeds. Swivelling to look at the holo-map, his blood ran cold. The Badnik army wouldn't get there in time. Calling up another screen he roughly calculated the hedgehog's trajectory. With any luck, Sonic would hit the reinforced hull and rebound. He swore as the results came up. By some freak chance, that blue spikeball was right on course for the open vision slit. Opening up a hatch of the keypad, he lowered the Metagel screen. He'd like to see the hedgehog get through that. He smiled as he watched Sonic launch an attack on the now-covered vision slit. What a fool.  
  
His gloating was cut short as the Metagel armour shattered into tiny fragments, sending Quixol flying under the desk away from danger. Calling up one of the cameras, his eyes widened. That hedgehog had rebounded, of course, but he had destroyed the vision slit's armour. Feeling the floor move under him, the chicken-like leader of D.R.A.T. found himself sliding towards the slit. Grabbing hold of a support beam he clung on for dear life as the craft tilted. He snarled, tears of rage in his eyes, and reached for the remote, grabbing it before it flew out the window. It was time to see what this lump of metal could do. Flipping a few switches he righted the craft then ran to the Emergency panel on the opposite wall. Wrenching the hatch open he smashed his fist into a padded red button behind it. Then he ran to the Console, sat down, and pushed a few buttons. Various cameras activated, showing the view from outside. Sonic was staring wide-eyed as the robot underwent a startling transformation.  
  
Porker's vehicle screamed into the City Centre as the robot began to transform. Two huge arms, reminiscent of the Squeeze Tag Machine that Robotnik had used on Sonic when he had raided their hideout all those years ago. He had also kept it as defence mechanism for the Launch Base on the Floating Island. As the two huge arms rose up, two smaller and more nimble arms extended from the sides, flexing and punching the air. Two electric generators lit up, energised an electrical field which arced round the machine. And through the torn window, Porker could see the furious face of Grand Master Quixol. As he watched, one of the huge arms arced back into the field to cover the open window, while the other took a swing a Sonic. The hedgehog dodged and the limb smashed into the pavement, sending chunks of concrete flying everywhere. The two nimbler arms chased after Sonic, punching holes in the ground as they went. The conflict was soon obscured from view by a thick cloud of dust.  
  
Sonic laughed as the arms smashed up the concrete behind him. This was just like the old days, when Robotnik had been building machine after machine after him, none of which could match his speed. As the ground rolled and buckled he circled the machine and leapt at the hull as it turned to face him. This should be easy he thought to himself. Suddenly he felt pain and burning sensation all over his body, as the electrical defence stopped him, sending electrical energy directly into him. As he fell to the ground smoking, he dimly saw one of the unwieldy arms move down towards him. Unable to move, he was helpless to stop the descending danger from picking him up. As he lolled in its grasp he was dimly aware that it was bringing him round to the vision slit. As the robot turned to face the remaining Freedom Fighters, speakers on the hull crackled into life.  
  
"So hedgehog, this is where it ends. For the glorious Dr. Robotnik, I will end your life!" Sonic struggled weakly as the voice turned its attention to Amy, Tails and Porker. A hideously deadly device extended from its back like a scorpion's tail and hovered before Sonic's face. "Watch well! For this is what will happen to all who oppose us!" The cruel weapon activated, and began to descend.  
  
"BANZAI!" A red streak fell from the sky, smashing into the tail-like limb and tearing it off. Falling with the writhing tail to the floor, Knuckles shouted up to Sonic. "Hey! Are you alright up there?" Quixol gibbered, then returned his attention to Sonic.  
  
"For the Glory of Robotnik!" One of the nimble fists smashed into Sonic, winding him. Sonic gasped and turned to Quixol.  
  
"Why do you do this? Your 'master' has gone mad. He tried to kill us all!"  
  
"Better to die than to live in a world without the great Doctor!" The other fist hit him and Sonic coughed up blood.  
  
"You're mad. You and your pathetic 'ruler'." Quixol screamed at him as the fists began pummelling him rapidly.  
  
"Foolish hedgehog! You will learn respect before you die!"  
  
Amy stared up at the sight before her, tears of anger in her eyes. Opening a box on her belt she slipped out an impact-explosive and carefully strapped it to a crossbow bolt. Aiming it at the robot she waited.  
  
Quixol smiled as Sonic fell unconscious. He would crush his rebellious head, and then the city would fall! Opening the hand covering the window, he extended it towards Sonic, laughing maniacally.  
  
Amy saw her chance. Aiming the crossbow, she released the bolt.  
  
The projectile arced through the air, reached its peak, then dipped towards the waiting vision slit, slipping through the defences and into the cockpit.  
  
To Quixol it seemed the bolt moved in slow motion as it flew in. He saw every minute detail of it, from the slivers and scratches in its surface, to the way the explosives were tied on. As he watched it flew into the console before him. Then a white light engulfed him and he felt himself rise.  
  
His last thought was that he had died doing his duty to his Master.  
  
Tails ran towards Sonic's falling body as the robot dropped him, light streaming out of its vision slits. Scooping up Sonic, the twin-tailed fox ran back as a horrible screech emanated from the robot's core. Then, with a horrible slowness, it fell apart, light streaming from its torn hull. Then the shockwave hit him, catapulting him head over heels, Sonic slipping from his grasp. He rolled across the street and came to a stop at Porker's feet. Helping him up, Porker turned to Knuckles, who was setting Sonic down on the pavement. Tails smiled as Sonic came round, bleary eyed. As he tried to sit up, Porker forced him back down as the last few Badniks lost power and sank to the floor.  
  
"You took quite a pummelling back there. Just take it easy for a bit." Porker turned to Knuckles and the two shook hands.  
  
"I found what we need guys," said the echidna. "I found a ship at Oil Ocean that we can use. It's owned by some guy named Red." Tails smiled.  
  
"Yeah. Me and Sonic helped him disarm the Oil Ocean a while back." Knuckles nodded.  
  
"I managed to pick up some diving equipment from the Aquatic Ruins Zone Leader. So, I guess we're all ready to go?" Porker nodded.  
  
"Yes Knuckles. It's time to find the Floating Island." 


	5. Chapter IV: Magic Tricks

Sister Haggra smiled her toothy smile as she cast her eye over the House of Magic's War Room. Every house had a so-called 'War Room', where they would make their contribution to the war effort. Her House had created the mysterious Mobius Rings to, among other things, allow quick passage to Mobius, and to give the land's native Flickies a migration route. Every winter, thousands of Flickies would pour through the Rings and arrive on the aptly named Flickies Island in the Mobian tropics. A little-known fact about the creatures is that they produce an amazing amount of electrical energy and make amazing organic batteries, a fact that the mad Doctor Robotnik did not miss. The House of Magic would create the Mobius Rings, ready to be incorporated into the Drakon Empire's swords by the House of Knowledge, which would then supply them to the House of War. The Mobius Rings had originally been created to store the Chaos Emerald's intense powers. For a while after their creation any Drakonian that came near for extended periods of time was either driven insane or horribly mutated by the Chaos energy. In fact, usually it was both.  
  
Haggra turned to her Seer Council, heads bent over the mystic cauldron that acted as the centrepiece for the entire House, and also contained the mystical Vapours of Destiny. This was an ancient magic, passed down through the many leaders of the House of Magic. The Vapour's powers allowed it to predict the future, and answer any question, in the form of an image silhouetted in the dense, sickly green gases spewed from the cauldron and wrapped around Haggra's feet as she approached.  
  
The Seer Council, a sort of governmental body that, along with herself, ruled the House of Magic. They were each chosen for their skills at manipulating the energies that were more commonly known as magic, and could easily use the Vapours for their own ends. Swirling in the vapours was the image of an island, floating in the sky. With deft hands movements the Council turned the image, zooming in and out on pieces of the structure, searching for the clues that their methods could yield as to how the Drakon Empire should assault this bastion. Haggra caught her breath as she gazed at the ring of mountains that rose up out of the centre of the island. Somewhere in those rocky daggers lay the Chaos Emeralds. The same Chaos Emeralds that had been stolen by the barbaric natives all those millennia ago. And now thought Haggra, now the Chaos Emeralds would return to their rightful place in the planet Drak. With their powers, they could avert the impending destruction of their Sun, and return to a golden age of conquest.  
  
Haggra realised she was drooling and mumbling incoherently to herself and promptly stopped.  
  
The choking mists curled around the horrific sculptures that hung from the vaulted ceiling. Terrifying dragon-like gargoyles sat above each of the well-spaced pillars, alongside sculptures constructed from the skulls of the Empire's enemies. Needless to say, that didn't have many enemies anymore. Apart from those accursed Mobians. Sneering and mouthing obscenities Haggra turned from the Council and walked over to the main production area of the War Room.  
  
Far below, apprentices of the House rushed back and forth alongside drafted civilians carrying the huge Mobius Rings along to the Circle of Seers (the body that governed the cavernous War Room) to be enchanted. Most of the civilians were clothed in thick, padded and worn leather suits. Although most of the civilians had the appearance of fish, some were newt- like, not needing the mechanical suits that the others wore. Haggra pointed one gnarled finger at one of the newt-like creatures and it fell to its knees, coughing up its lifeblood on the stone floor. The veins on the newt's forehead stood out as the worker struggled for breath. Horrific convulsions wracked the newt as it slumped to the ground and breathed its last, chunks of bone falling from the lifeless lips as its skeleton disintegrated. The other workers averted their eyes. They had seen to many newts die this way. Haggra withdrew her finger and spat at the corpse. The newts were vermin, not pureblood like proper Drakonians. They did not deserve to walk the streets of planet Drak. Still, they were excellent labourers.  
  
Haggra turned her attentions to the Circle of Seers. The circle was comprised of those who were marginally off the standards that the Seer Council required. They governed the wartime operations of the House, under the Council's watchful eye of course.  
  
As each huge Mobius Ring was passed to them, the Circle knelt around it and began to channel their energies into the immobile golden ring. As the ceremony reached its completion the ring began to pulse, slowly, then quicker as the Circle tied off their energies. Kneeling down, the Council picked up the device and propped it against the wall with the hundreds of others. Looking around for a test subject the Circle's leader grabbed a passing next and threw him into the portal. The creature's screams echoed around the chamber, shifting suddenly around the ceiling and the floor randomly. Then the screams became clearer as the newt dropped from the high ceiling and left a rather nasty mess on the stone slabs of the floor, crushing another newt in the process. Satisfied that the Ring was working properly the Circle began work on its next Ring. The rest of the workers shifted one step away from the Circle and continued.  
  
Haggra smiled and opened her com-link, the only invention of the House of Knowledge that she allowed within a two-mile radius of her House. She sighed as she realised the thing was flashing for an incoming message. Flipping open the infernal device she screeched into it.  
  
"Yes! Who is this, and what are they calling for?" She smiled as she heard someone stumble at the other end of the line. She frowned as Ko- Door's face showed up on screen.  
  
"Are the Mobius Rings going to be ready for the appointed time?" Haggra glanced over the collection below before replying.  
  
"For the last time, yes!" She watched Ko-Door dash the com-link against the floor, and she turned hers off. He didn't usually react so violently. He had something to hide, and she would find out what it was. She would find out if she had to tear the House of War apart to do it. She took a deep breath to calm herself and watched yet another newt plummet to the floor.  
  
"And now, to war," she mumbled, before stalking off to her rooms. 


	6. Chapter V: Journey to the Sunken Isle

The Oil Ocean Zone. This was the heart of the economy of Robotnik's Empire. Built in the time of Kintobor by the Mobians, this facility was designed to extract fossil fuels from Planet Mobius' deepest oil well, using clean and safe equipment and procedures approved by the good doctor himself. The ocean around was clean and pollutant-free, a big difference from when Robotnik took over. After seizing South Island and constructing his fortress, Scrap Brain, he descended on the facility to use its oil for his army of robots. After installing himself as ruler of the Zone he began to transform the Zone for his own ends. Spike traps were added in, gas mains were re-directed to form flame traps, cooling systems were replaced to form impassable barriers of winds. Even worse, he had the oil mains destroyed, allowing the oil to seep into the bay and pollute the ocean for miles around. After installing his own Badniks he was distracted by events unfolding at his Scrap Brain fortress and left the Zone. After driving Robotnik from South Island, Sonic went straight to the heart of Oil Ocean and defeated Robotnik's forces, returning the Zone to the people of Mobius. After this, Sonic assisted a team of Environmental Control personnel in disarming the Zone, and putting out a blaze that could have lit up the entire Zone! However, before the ocean could be cleaned up Sonic was imprisoned in the Omni-Viewer and Robotnik retook the Zone.  
  
After Robotnik's defeat, the Oil Ocean was cleaned up and became an essential part of the Mobian economy. A little known fact to casual researchers, is that after that it became Mobius' main port.  
  
"Hey Sonic!" shouted the lion-like Mobian, rushing towards him in an ironed black business suit.  
  
"Hey Red!" shouted Sonic. "What's with the suit?" The lion smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Well, could be because I'm the new Oil Ocean Zone Leader!" Sonic gaped, then laughed.  
  
"You? Zone Leader? How did you get that job?" Red laughed with him, then his face became serious again. Sonic attempted to ignore Porker's inspections of just about everything in the surrounding area as Red explained. One of Porker's little bad habits was a magnetic attraction to anything that had at least one wire in it, which usually appeared at the most inopportune times. Sonic was secretly glad that Tails had taken over as the Team's mechanic after Porker left after the whole Metallix incident. The poor pig had been stuck on the Miracle Planet for an entire month with the Brotherhood of Metallix, as their 'Alpha Device' transformed the entire world into an industrial nightmare. Sonic shuddered. He had seen what that think could have done to Mobius.  
  
"Well, after Robotnik's defeat, and the introduction of the Zone Leader system, I was given the job of cleaning up the Oil Ocean." Sonic looked over the side at the now crystal clear waters under the rig. It hadn't been like this 2 years ago he reflected. Red had really done a good job. "Then, after the Floating Island fell out of the sky, the old Zone Leader resigned. He'd had enough and didn't think he could keep up the good work that his position required. So, they appointed me as Zone Leader." Sonic snapped his head back and realised he hadn't been paying attention. E had been looking at the shipping platform. The same shipping platform where 5 years ago, he had almost killed Red, Tails and an innocent Mobian. Or rather, Super Sonic had.  
  
"Yeah, well that's great Red. Tell me, what's the ship that we're taking out like?" Red smiled and gestured towards the metallic behemoth drifting lazily in the bay.  
  
"All you need to know is that it's seaworthy, and it'll get you to where you want to go!" Porker leapt up and began wandering towards the ship. Sonic laughed as his friend advanced towards the ship.  
  
"Yeah? By the time Porker's finished 'inspecting' it, it won't be able to float, let alone get us across the Mobian Sea!" Red laughed jovially. Well then, you'd better get going. As Sonic ran towards the ship, Red shouted something to him.  
  
"Oh yeah! I picked up that diving equipment you wanted from the Aquatic Ruins. It's in the bridge!" Sonic gave him a thumbs-up, before dashing up the gangplank and onto the vessel.  
  
The Mobian Sea is a very strange area of the Planet, for the sheer number of scientific discoveries made about it. The area of the Planet's oceans designated the Mobian Sea, holds many of the most important areas of Mobius. South Island drifts in the northern part of the Sea, while on the main continent lies Metropolis City and the surrounding areas. Possibly the strangest event in recent times concerning the Mobian Sea, was the startling revelation that it tasted of lemon! The researcher who had discovered this had later been found to have a bizarre sense of taste and the whole theory was dismissed as 'codswallop', though not before the release of many other bizarre theories involving the flavour of the Planet's oceans. Including the most recent one, which was that the Mobian Sea tasted of chicken.  
  
Sonic spat out a stream of seawater as he realised that this theory too was 'codswallop' as the Mobian Board of Science had dubbed it. Rubbing the salty taste from his tongue he got up from his kneeling position at the stern of the ship and walked up to the bridge. As he passed Knuckles he noticed that the Echidna once again had that box of old scrolls and parchments out and was rifling through them, paused to take out one, glance at it then replace it. Sonic shook his head. Knuckles had acquired that box off of Captain Plunder, the most incompetent pirate on Mobius. How, Knuckles had never said.  
  
Sighing, Sonic mounted the steps up to the bridge. Pausing with his hand on the door he prepared himself to see Porker dismantling the ship pieces by pieces before his eyes, then trying to put it back together again. Sighing, he walked in. Surprisingly Porker had been remarkably restrained on this trip. He had only destroyed one console. And, Sonic noted, this time it was not the steering console.  
  
"Hi Sonic," mumbled the pig, not bothering to look up as the hedgehog entered. The pig was crouched low over the tangled remains of a small console near the back of the bridge deck. He was at that moment fiddling with two loose wires and appeared to be trying to either mate them, or practice his Boy Scouts knots. Sonic coughed, then frowned, as Porker seemed not to hear. Sonic coughed again, louder this time and Porker appeared to hear him, as he turned round to face the hedgehog.  
  
"Yes?" he muttered, still fiddling with the wires. Inwardly Sonic sighed again. Porker could be polite most of the time, but try to take him away from a new machine and he was like a child with candy: he would not let go.  
  
"Are we there yet?" asked Sonic wearily. The trip seemed to be taking forever, and Sonic did not feel like going down and finding Chaos, or something like him, on the Island. Porker glanced over at the electronic chart n the wall, then dropped the wires and walked over to the command console. As Sonic gingerly stepped over the severed ends he scowled at Porker. "Look buddy. I appreciate your interests an' all, but would you mind reassembling the parts of the ships after you've finished with them. I'd like to get this thing back to Red in one piece." Porker scowled back as he traced his finger along the console's dusty surface.  
  
"We're there Sonic," he mumbled. Suddenly he sprang into life, leaping towards the steering controls and shutting down the propellers. "Go and tell the others. We'll meet in the North Cargo Hold."  
  
Sonic smiled and punched the air. The trip had taken long enough already, and he didn't look forward to another hour on the ocean. Now they would see some action! Rushing outside he grabbed the rail and vaulted over and down onto the deck. Knuckles leapt up from his sitting position, almost knocking the valuable chest over the side, just saved by Tail's new modification to the Tornado II, a grabbing arm. Sonic sighed again. Why they would need that thing he didn't know. They'd done well enough without it on the Tornado I.  
  
"Are we there yet Sonic?" the echidna shouted. Sonic winced and held up one hand.  
  
"I can here you! There's no need to shout!" Immediately Sonic cursed himself for those words. Knuckles had not seen his home in two years, he had a right to be excited. Heck, he was excited too! However, Knuckles seemed not to notice, for which Sonic was grateful.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes then," said the echidna. "Where do we meet?"  
  
Sonic smiled. Same old Knuckles. "The North Cargo Hold," he said, before speeding up to the announcements post. Glaring at the elaborate cup-holder that Red called a microphone; he knelt down at picked up a normal loudspeaker. No need to use something that complicated when there was a simpler solution.  
  
"All crew, report to the North Cargo Hold. Yes, all four of you!" Sonic smiled, then vaulted off the lookout post and almost squashed a very surprised Tails on his descent. Helping his friend up, Sonic dusted the dust off his friend's face. "Sorry 'bout that little bro. Over excited." Tails smiled, and then Sonic was off, out of sight in the vast Cargo areas of the ship.  
  
This was it. Today was a new beginning. A world without Robotnik, without his creations, and without Chaos. Sonic grinned. He was going to enjoy this. 


	7. Chapter VI: The Power of Knowledge

Master Scholar gave a derisive snort as newts dashed away from him. His staff rang against the cold metal floor of his private chambers as he chased the newts from his room, dashing his ceremonial staff against the skulls of any newts that came too close. Scum and vermin, that was what they were. Finally expelling the intruders from his room he flung the heavy doors shut and leapt against them, panting heavily. Those newts were getting rebellious. They were becoming a problem; a problem that Scholar vowed he would bring to the attentions of the Drakon Council once this whole ghastly business was over. That lot had had the gall to demand a pay increase. Demand! The lowest of the low demanding a pay increase from the leader of a Ruling House! It was unheard of! Once more Scholar cursed the name of Sonic. Ever since those rumours about a Drakon defeat had begun, the newts had realised that their superior brethren where not as infallible as they had been led to believe, which had led to more than a few problems. Sighing he gazed around at his room.  
  
Arcane instruments lined the walls; none actually using the bizarre force known as magic. There were so many, that any other would have trouble remembering what a fraction of them did. But Scholar prided himself on, among other things, his remarkable memory. The leader of a House dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge needed a good memory after all. Reaching up, Scholar thrust the door's heavy lock into place then stood and pondered the design carved into the golden bar.  
  
On the left-hand side, a harsh angular drawing of a hedgehog and a tribe of Echidnas dominated. On the other side, a smoother, lighter carving of a group of Drakonian soldiers stood faced the Echidnas. And in the centre, was chaos. Scrawled lines, made seemingly at random if you focused your eyes. But, if you allowed your eyes to drift out of focus, the most fearful creature emerged from the scrawled lines. Tearing his eyes away, Scholar made sure that the lock was in place before he allowed himself to turn. The thuds of the newt's fists against the door grew fainter, replaced by the sounds of battle as his Guards laid into the peasants. A puddle of blood crept under the door, and Scholar bent down to examine it. Dipping one clawed finger in the pool of vital fluids he quickly withdrew it and held it up to the light.  
  
Newt blood.  
  
Smiling, Scholar wiped his finger on a nearby cloth before finally leaving the threshold, the sounds of battle growing fainter until they disappeared altogether.  
  
Satisfied, Scholar turned from the doorway and advanced on the gilded doorway that stood opposite him, dodging over an over-sized hourglass that had toppled in the confusion. Sneering, Scholar added that to his mental list of charges against those newts. He was going to enjoy watching the trial, even if it was held in the House of War. He wondered who the Prosecutor for the trial would be. Probably one of Ko-Door's blasted Sentinels, come to think of it.  
  
Thrusting open the doorway his vision was temporarily obscured by a veritable avalanche of scrolls and parchments. Jumping back, Scholar pulled his arm back and narrowly avoided having that limb pulverised by the weight. Growling, he waited for the volley to subside before proceeding over the threshold and into the cavernous room.  
  
Crouched around the heavy oak table (Mobian finest) in the centre of the room were twelve students of the House of Knowledge. Their garb made them seem like miniature versions of himself, which was a good image for the Council of Knowledge. Scholar smiled again. His House may not have had such fancy names for jobs as Haggra seemed to have, but they were more important, at least in his opinion. Looking over the heads of the shorter members, Scholar could see wrinkled parchments laid out on the table. Old maps of Mobius from the Drakon-Echidna War obviously. And, in one corner of the table four of the disciples were bent over a small, newer notebook and scribbling on another version of the old map. They were comparing the notes collected by Ko-Door's spies (at least, he had said they were spies) to the old map, and making the necessary changes. After all, they'd be in a right mess if instead of landing in a secluded clearing they instead got themselves thoroughly stuck in a swamp, especially seeing as once a Drakonian landing craft started its landing procedures, there was no way in hell to stop it short of taking a large axe to the central processors.  
  
As Scholar manoeuvred around the table to his seat he glared disdainfully at the parchments that he had to skirt around, just left without thought lying there on the floor. Whoever was responsible for this would be in big trouble especially as they were supposed to represent the pinnacle of knowledge in the Empire. Taking his seat, Scholar snarled as he felt something shift beneath him. Standing, he pulled out a crumpled sheaf of papers and threw them down on the table, making everyone in the room jump. Scowling at each and every one, Scholar finally decided to leave disciplining for later. They had more important things to think about.  
  
Picking up the sheaf of papers again, Scholar decided he could forgive this a bit. Leafing through he saw that these were the supply lists of items to be manufactured and sent to the House of War. Why they couldn't make their own ships was beyond him. Astronomical amounts of weapons and ships were listed here. Forgivable, as it would take astronomical amounts to seize Mobius. And he would enjoy watching the Planet burn afterwards under the fire of their Demolisher Cannons. Vengeance would be his. His grandfather had died at the hands of those Echidna scum.  
  
He was brought back to his senses by one of the Council shaking his arms. Looking up he noticed the sheaf of papers in his hand was beginning to disintegrate ion his grip. Releasing them he glared at the Council as if it were their fault then calmed himself. This was no time for daydreams.  
  
"How are the maps coming along?" he asked. The group hunched over the notebooks looked up, and a wrinkled Drakon spoke up, his glasses threatening to leap of his face.  
  
"Very well Master," he croaked. "The general landscape of Mobius doesn't seem to have changed radically, so all we really have to do is mark down the settlements." A younger Drakon interrupted his elder, earning him many a disdainful look.  
  
"We've also found a great place for our landings!" he squeaked. Scholar growled at the lack of his respective title, and his ears found out that he was not the only one. He began to rethink his decision to leave the disciplining until later. Still, the fool was young. A remarkable mind, but young and naïve. Nodding, Scholar forced a smile at the youngster, though the older Drakon appeared ready to attack him with his staff.  
  
"Good," he said. "I wish for you to check those sites. Also," he said, turning to an oil-stained member of the Council, who was thumbing through a set of blueprints. "I want you to inform the Factories to speed up production. If they object, remind them about the Sun." The oil-stained Drakon nodded, but Scholar had already turned away. Another Drakon spoke up and Scholar sighed. This was to be a long night of planning.  
  
War was tiring. 


	8. Chapter VII: The Revenge of Captain Claw

Tails grunted as he tried to fit his oxygen suit over his twin tails, trying to cram them into the suit with his free hand, and with that same motion letting the suit slip back down to his feet. Looking over towards Sonic he saw that the hedgehog was having the same problem. Obviously Red was taking a little revenge for the time when Sonic (under the control of his alter ego, Super Sonic) had tried to kill the lion in the Oil Ocean Zone. Still Tails reasoned, as the suit snapped back on his ankles, it could be worse. He could have punched holes in the oxygen tanks. Or something like that. This was probably a very restrained reaction, given the circumstances.  
  
The squeak of rubber announced the arrival of Sonic; arms splayed wide of his body by the constraints of the suit. Tails thanked his luck that he didn't have such unwieldy spines. Then his Tails slipped back out of the suit again and he forgot that thought.  
  
"You know Tails," said Sonic in a strained voice. "I think these suits are a bit too small."  
  
"No. You don't say," grunted Tails. At least, that's what he would have said if the air of stress inside the hold was not so palpable that you could have cut it with a knife. Instead he grunted in agreement.  
  
Forcing a smile, Sonic waddled off to check on the others, as Tails' tails slipped out yet again, like earthworms from a can of bait. Or something.  
  
Far below, on the ocean floor, something stirred.  
  
Porker laughed as he watched his team-mates waddle around in the unwieldy diving suits that Red had supplied with the ship. Sonic's was in danger to ripping due to his spikes, Tails' was just too small for two tails, and Knuckles. Was not having any trouble at all. Neither was Amy. Neither of those two had any features that caused problems as Amy had combed her quills down since the Chaos incident. Behind them stood the sub that was going to transport them to the depths. At first sight it looked like a faceless shark, its sleek, streamlined form perfect for the task. From here it looked small, but Porker knew that that was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Connected to the body of the sub were five escape pods, small submarines that could be detached from the main sub at will. Shaped like flu capsules, they contained enough emergency supplies to live comfortably for weeks. And, of course, each escape sub was heavily armoured, as was the main sub. Below the fragile outer hull lay a layer of pure Metagel, the strongest metal on Mobius. Porker had only heard about an incident where an object made of Metagel had been destroyed, and that was when the object had the collective life-forces of Mobius and Earth flowing through its form. The main sub was also armed with several heavy torpedoes that could rip a ship this size in half, and vaporise smaller ships. Red certainly hadn't skimped on the transport that's for sure. He knew how important this mission was.  
  
As Sonic waddled into a pile of several crates Porker decided that he'd had enough fun. Holding aloft his package he ran down the stairs.  
  
"Guys! Come over here, I have something to show you!" Immediately Sonic and Tails began waddling towards him and Porker saw another of Red's humorous touches. The suits were painted black and white, like penguins. Tux would have enjoyed seeing that, if he still fought for the Freedom Fighters. After the Death Egg incident Tux had left the group's network of informants to care for his family on the Floating Island. Holding out a hand to stop Sonic from falling over, Porker propped the hedgehog against the stair-rail. Holding out the package he undid the straps. Five diving suits folded out, each a different shape. On the left breast of each suit was the suit's wearer's symbol during the Freedom Fighter days. Fitted to each suit was a large airtank, with a curling plastic tube connecting the packs to the wearer's mouthpiece.  
  
"I thought Red's suits looked a bit suspect, so I had these made during the journey." Porker said. A loud ripping sound followed as Sonic's old diving suit disintegrated. Grabbing his suit, Sonic ran to the changing rooms to put it on, followed by Tails, Knuckles and finally Amy. Sighing, Porker grabbing the last one and ran after them.  
  
Far below, on the ocean floor, something moved.  
  
Sonic finally emerged from the changing rooms, clad in the suit. More flexible rubber had been fitted at the back to allow space for his spikes. Hearing the creak of door hinges, he turned to the right just as Tails emerged, followed by Knuckles, Amy and then finally Porker. Each suit moulded to the wearer's body perfectly, giving the impression that their skin had been replaced with rubber. Tails' twin tails seemed to be the biggest testament to Porker's skill with these suits, as they moved easily despite the rubber that encased them. Porker had engineered Amy's suit differently to the others', for obvious reasons.  
  
"Well guys, we have no time to waste," said Porker. "Knuckles and Tails. You two come with me to get the Emeralds loaded." He then turned to Sonic and Amy. "Sonic, Amy. You two get the sub ready to leave. Make sure the fuel tanks are filled and so on." Sonic scowled a Porker. He hated boring labour like this. But he knew how important this was. As the three ran to the upper decks, Amy smiled at Sonic.  
  
"Well, looks like it's just you and."  
  
"Not now Amy," muttered the blue hedgehog, wandering over to the sleek submersible.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," replied Amy. Sonic sighed. Amy had grown out of mindless flirting now. She'd matured past that stage long ago. Ever since Super Sonic had been separated from him, she had grown more independent. After all, she had had masterminded the plan to trap Super Sonic in the Special Zone, and had had to fight Robotnik alone after Sonic had become trapped in that Zone as well.  
  
Standing in front of the sub, Amy opened a small compartment in her backpack. Taking out a small laptop she laid it on the floor and began connecting leads to the Sub. Kneeling, she began to check the readings from the sub. Sonic recognised that laptop as well. It was the same one used to store the Kintobor Computer after Robotnik had driven them out of their old base. Sonic could still see the slot on the back where the Mobius Ring that Kintobor had been stored on had connected to the laptop.  
  
Sighing Sonic mounted climbed into the sub for his share of the chores.  
  
Far below, the ocean floor shifted. Clouds of dust obscured the thin light of the Sun as a solitary tentacle began to rise towards the ship high above.  
  
Porker let the goggles snap to over his face, the tinted lenses making the world look like an old black-and-white film. Knuckles and Tails were reluctantly donning theirs, but they knew why. The Emeralds had been away from the Special Zone and the Emerald Chamber for so long that they had become radioactive. The light they emitted now was blinding, and even when they were stored in the sealed Emerald boxes the light still shone through. The only thing holding the Chaos Emeralds in check at the moment was the freezing temperature of the boxes.  
  
Donning his radioactivity suit Porker walked up to the box containing the Blue, Red and Grey Emeralds. Tails took the box containing the Purple, Orange and Yellow Emeralds. Knuckles had insisted on being the one to take the Master Emerald's box down to the sub, so he took that box. Together the three lugged the boxes across the water-slick deck, being careful not to slip. The slightest mistake at this stage could be catastrophic. Descending the stairs, the three walked towards the sub, just as Sonic and Amy were leaving. Stumbling over to the side of the ship, Porker flipped open a small panel in the hull and pulled the lever inside. Immediately the storage hatch swung open, kicking Sonic across the hold. Porker laughed as the hedgehog dusted himself off and entered the hold. Inside, he secured the Emerald boxes then turned to where the others were at the end of the hold.  
  
"Guys! I'm going to check that the sub's working!" he shouted, before slammed the storage hatch shut and leaping into the control room of the sub.  
  
As the tentacle wound through the dark, grimy water towards the belly of the boat, two more joined it. Then, slowly they were joined by yet more. And more. And more.  
  
"So guys, ready for this?" said Knuckles. Sonic nodded and put one hand above his head to pull Tails down from the air above. Setting the fox down beside him, he walked over to the wall of the hold and lay against it.  
  
"Tell me when Porker's done, 'k?" he mumbled, closing his eyes. Amy sighed and looked towards their transport. It was drifting silently up and down, up and down. Amy blinked and shook her head. It was like watching a lava lamp. Sighing she sat down too and slowly drifted off to sleep.  
  
Almost as soon as Amy drifted off she was awoken by Tails shaking her. Leaping up she had her crossbow ready in an instant, causing Tails to leap to the floor in surprise. Realising that there was no threat she put the crossbow back in its sheath.  
  
"Tails, why did you wake me?" she asked blearily.  
  
"Porker's finished."  
  
Blinking, Amy saw that Tails was right. Porker was waving at them, and seemed to be holding a huge loudspeaker.  
  
The words "I'M READY!" blared through the hall and Amy realised the he was holding a huge loudspeaker. Shaking Sonic awake she pulled her self up and began towards the sub. On the edge of her hearing she could hear the creak of metal. She paid it no heed. Probably just the sea.  
  
Suddenly, the hull bulged inwards. Amy instinctively leapt back as the hull gave way with a shriek of tearing metal. Water poured from the gash, obscuring Porker and the sub behind the torrent. Sonic started wading forwards, but was pulled forcefully back by Knuckles. As Sonic turned to protest, Knuckles pointed towards the gash as its maker revealed itself.  
  
Emerging from the torrent was a huge segmented tentacle. Its yellow underbelly offset its purple top and thin, cruel-looking steel spikes protruded from the line where the colours met at regular intervals, like the blades of a chainsaw. At its tip a huge bronze spike protruded from the metallic limb, spinning slowly in contrast with the quick, rodent-like movements of the tentacle. Something in its appearance tickled Knuckles' memory, but the shook it off. This was no time for reminiscing. As he watched the tentacle reared up and lunged across the cavernous hold, striking the opposite wall and burrowing through, projecting a new torrent into the rapidly flooding hold. He heard a creak behind him and turned to see another tentacle leap across the hold from a huge gash in the titanium hull, striking the opposite wall and bouncing off it. Settling on the floor it curled round and lifted its 'head' up to look at the tiny shapes far below it, like a snake poised before the kill. Acting fast, Amy whipped out her crossbow, slipping in a full dart clip in the same movement. Aiming quickly she held the small trigger on the weapon, bringing forth a torrent of bolts that impacted on the creature, embedding themselves in its shiny metal skin. Shaking itself, the tentacle turned sideways on to its attackers. As Amy watched, the very same bolts slid out of slots in the cruel looking spikes that lined the creature's sides. The Freedom Fighters barely had time to duck before a hail of bolts peppered the air where their heads had been moments before.  
  
As Sonic leapt up he began to run towards the creature, picking up speed as his legs whirled round. Suddenly the hull bulged under him. He threw himself backwards as a third tentacle smashed through the floor sending a great plume of water into the air, like a crude fountain. He turned as the creaks sounded again behind him, and watched as the first tentacle punched yet another hole in the hull. By now the water was up to his waist and Sonic reluctantly rushed towards the ladder leading out of the hold, shouting at the others and trying to make himself heard as yet more smashes announced the arrival of more tentacles. The others didn't hesitate, hurling themselves at the ladder and rushing up it as the hull filled with brine.  
  
Emerging into the fading light, Sonic placed one hand over his eyes to shield them from the glare of the evening sun. Stumbling out onto the deck, soaking wet, the group took their hands from their eyes and gasped.  
  
Five huge tentacles were wrapped around the titanic ship, these ones dwarfing the ones they had just escaped from. As it to offer a contrast the five tentacles currently occupying the hold smashed through the deck in front of one of the tentacles and curled up on the wooden planks, imitating the snake-like pose of their partner. Waving in the wind like blades of grass they seemed to be trying to decide whether to kill them now, or later. Suddenly, all five of the smaller tentacles lunged for the bridge, smashing through the bullet-proof glass easily and completely annihilating the controls.  
  
"So much for getting this thing back to Red in one piece," mumbled Sonic as the tentacles leapt from the stricken bridge and span through the air, heading towards the stern of the ship. Suddenly Sonic remembered what was at the stern and grabbed Tails, throwing him over the side. "Everyone! Jump!" he shouted, before leaping over the side after Tails. Impacting on the choppy waters he heard two further splashes behind him. Looking around he spied Tails off in the distance, swimming as fast as his body would allow. Setting off after him, Sonic kept his head down. He knew what was coming. Stopping at a safe distance he turned back towards the ship.  
  
The five tentacles arced through the air, spinning gracefully in the orange sky. For a moment they seemed to hang in the air, like huge Mobian rings Sonic reflected. Then, with excruciating slowness they fell straight into the engines at the rear of the ship.  
  
The effect was immediate. The air itself seemed to flash as the stern came apart, slowly. Another flash of light, concentrated on the impact point now blossomed, gradually expanding outwards tearing up the shop as it went. The craft reared up as water poured into the gash, its bow sticking straight up into the sunset, and slowly began to sink. Then, a huge cloud of flame shot out of the middle of the stricken craft and the rest of the ship disintegrated in a haze of light. Sonic blinked, and then the shockwave hit him, catapulting him through the air. Huge waves rolled out from the fiery pillar that engulfed the vessel, tossing the four this way and that. Sonic struggled to keep his head above the waves. He'd had swimming lessons after the Chaos incident, but he still wasn't confident in the water, even at the best of times. And this certainly wasn't the 'best of times'. Buffeted by the waves, he fell into a kind of thoughtless trance. He didn't think, he merely tried his best to stay alive.  
  
Finally the waves calmed down. When Sonic opened his eyes he found that the remaining members of the group where clustered around him, panting and soaked. There was no sign of Porker. Gritting his teeth Sonic cursed himself. Another of his friends had died because of him. This was just like Johnny's death.  
  
"Well, well, well. What d'we 'ave here? Four drowned rats!" Sonic spun round to face the owner of the voice and gasped. Towering above, the ten tentacles formed a ring around a larger object in the centre.  
  
"You!" shouted Knuckles, surprised. Puzzled, Sonic peered into the space between the tentacles. The object in there was circular. The shadows suggested a round see-through canopy; perhaps made of glass, and ten indents below. Five large, and five smaller. The size to fit the tentacles.  
  
"Arr. From the look on yer face Sonic, it appears to me that ya can't see me. Well, let old Claw rectify that mistake for ya," the voice blared again. Gravely, it was the stereotypical seaman's voice you expected to hear in cheesy pirate movies. Suddenly, a bright glare appeared, bathing the area in a blinding glow. Sonic threw his hands up to his face and the voice laughed. "To bright for ye Sonic? Well, I do be sorry. Perhaps I should be turnin' it down." The lights dimmed and Sonic took the hand away from his eyes. Now he could see the foe clearly. Although from the noises Knuckles was making, it was clear he had already guessed.  
  
Now Sonic could see the ship, an almost perfectly spherical vessel, the shape only broken by a small indent down where he had seen the indents before. He had been right; there were ten indents. One for each tentacle he guessed. The area around the indents was plain metal. Obviously the craft's owner had not bothered to paint that area, seeing as the roving machines that would attach to it would obscure any ornate paintwork. The bottom half of the vessel was painted a bold yellow and was segmented like the 'stomachs' of the worms. The upper half was a deep violet only broken by a glass canopy, which Sonic guessed protected the thing's bridge. The canopy was shaped so it would not break the shape of the vessel and was held in place by bolts of gold. Within the canopy, nothing could be seen. Except for one thing that is. The vessel's owner.  
  
Sonic blinked. Standing at the controls of the vessel was a huge crab; a tricorner hat perched precariously upon its shell. Two huge laws pointed down at them, and the thing's mouthparts moved as if laughing.  
  
"I do be sorry," shouted the crab, through what Sonic could now see was a near invisible speaker system, integrated into the ship's hull. "I haven't introduced meself. The name's Captain Claw. I rule the sea's south of Oil Ocean. They call me the 'Fisherman', they do. And it seems t' me, that I've caught meself an old enemy. How'd ya be Knuckles?" Sonic span round in the water to face Knuckles.  
  
"Do you know this guy?" he shouted, gesturing towards the vessel's occupant. Knuckles gritted his teeth before replying.  
  
"Yes," he growled. "I met him on the way back to the Floating Island shortly before Robotnik's defeat. I had just left the hometown of your old 'friend' Captain Plunder, carrying the chest of documents that I'm sure you're familiar with. I was in a mere rowing boat at the time, and I was aiming to land at the site of the western Mobian colonies. I met Claw's pets at the Six-Pronged Spires and they destroyed my boat, very nearly drowning me. Rescuing the chest I climbed onto the base of one of the spires with it. It was then that Claw revealed himself with his old ship. Attaching his tendrils to his craft he chased me around the spires, destroying them as he went. It was by luck that one landed on his craft and disabled it. Taking him prisoner I forced him to row us the rest of the way. Upon landing I turned him over to the Mobian authorities." Claw had obviously been listening in. His next comment was directed at the echidna.  
  
"Yes, I do remember that day. I haven't forgotten the indignity ya caused me. So I built this new craft. You've seen what my new 'pets' can do. And this time, there's no Spires to save you. You're out of luck my friend." Knuckles snarled at this and shook his fist at the craft.  
  
"Claw! You lost me the Emeralds, the chest, and killed my friend! I swear you shall not come away from this alive!"  
  
Claw chuckled to himself and thumbed a few buttons on his keypad. The tentacle whipped their heads up in unison, and turned to face the four sodden travellers.  
  
"You're wrong about one thing there Knuckles. I will leave it up to you to find out what." He pulled up a separate microphone from his control panel and whispered one word.  
  
"Kill."  
  
The tentacles reared, and a low growl began to emanate from their forms. Then, they struck.  
  
The first Amy knew of it was when she felt herself lift from the choppy waters. She couldn't feel what was lifting her. It was as if she was floating in the air. Then, time returned to its normal pace as she hit the water twenty metres away. Pain flooded through her, and one of her arms flopped lifelessly at her side. Bobbing up and down in the water she could dimly see the unfolding combat.  
  
"Damn you!" Knuckles screamed, hurling himself at the vessel's canopy. Claw smiled as he neared, and gestured towards a point five metres to the echidna's left. At once, one of the smaller tentacles smashed into him, swatting him out of the air. Tails was next, one of the huge tentacles lifting him carefully into the air. Looking down, the fox gulped at the daunting drop to the waves below. Suddenly the tendrils whipped out from under him then came back, slapping him down into the sea. Sonic leapt at the canopy, dodging in between roving tentacles and span straight at the bridge. As Sonic smashed into the vessel, a huge electric charge coursed through him. Smoking, he dropped to the waters below. The cold revived him just enough to keep his head above water level. He thanked his lucky stars for the suits they had on.  
  
"I'm sure Knuckles remembers that, don't you mate?" laughed Caw, pointing one tentacle at the snarling echidna. "Well, I think me pets would be likin' a little more space to do what they do." As he said this, there was a hiss of escaping air, as the tentacles detached from the craft again and disappeared into the waves. A few moments later, Sonic felt something pull him down into the deeps. Struggling free of his captor he swam towards the sinking form of Tails. He could see that Tail's breathing apparatus was still connected properly. He'd be OK for a few minutes.  
  
Meanwhile, Knuckles fought a battle of his own, three tentacles baring down on him. Swatting the first one aside he was unprepared for the other two. One struck him in the belly and winded him. The other just missed his head, snagging on the tube connected his oxygen tank to his mouth. With a sound of snapping metal the tube broke in two. Knuckles gasped for air, scrabbling uselessly at the severed ends. The first tentacle now took its revenge, smashing into his legs. Gasping for air, Knuckles saw the three tentacles drift away, their work deemed completed. Then, darkness took him and he slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
Claw was laughing as his creations attacked the three remaining fighters. All was going according to plan. Knuckles was dead, Tails was out of it and the other two could hardly swim. This was getting better by the minute. Keying in the order to finish the job he watched as the turmoil grew, the tentacles taking wider and faster orbits around their targets.  
  
Then, Claw was hurled into the glass canopy by two impacts on his hull. Cursing he switched on the rear cameras. Then he cursed some more. A sleek submersible was coming up fast from astern, torpedo bays flashed rhythmically. The damage to his ship was minimal, but the sub was still dangerous. Claw watched as two torpedoes streaked past his ship, atomising two of his creations in mid-swim. Snarling, Claw called off his beasts.  
  
"Attack the intruder!" he bawled. The tentacles obliged.  
  
Sonic bled from various wounds caused by the barbs on his attackers. Blood misted the water around him. Pushing the grisly fog away he gazed at their would-be saviour. It was impossible. It was their sub. As he tried to get to grips with this, a familiar voice carried over to him from the sub.  
  
"Hey Sonic!" said Porker. "I thought you needed a little help, so decided to drop by!" Sonic shook himself. It was him. So, he'd survived. He'd ask why later. Suddenly, Sonic remembered Tails and span to face the point he'd seen him last.  
  
He was gone.  
  
"Hey Sonic!" said Tails, causing Sonic to jump. The fox was floating behind him, twin tails waving in the current.  
  
"Don't ever scare me like that again," said Sonic levelly. "Come on. Porker will need our help."  
  
Claw screeched as a barrage of explosives destroyed three of his huge tentacles. The mortally wounded beasts sank into the depths; clouds of oil marking their descent. Two tentacles struck the sub a crushing blow and Claw smiled. His smile disappeared as the enemy shrugged off the blow and steadied the craft, annihilating its two attackers seemingly as an afterthought. Snarling curse words, claw directed his remaining two huge tentacles towards the foe. Wrapping round the craft they began to apply pressure. Not enough apparently, as the remaining small tentacle disappeared in a cloud of smoke. But now the enemy was trapped. Claw keyed in the signal for the tentacle's electrical charges. He would fry the owner of that craft, then kill the remaining three annoyances. Before he could confirm the command however he heard a scraping on the hull above him. Looking up he found himself staring into the bloody, bruised face of Knuckles. In the echidna's hands was held a sharp spear of rock, which he now lifted above his head.  
  
"You talk too much," muttered Knuckles, before plunging his weapon through the canopy. The spear pierced the glass, shattering it and continued on towards Claw. The spear penetrated through the top of his shell, sending fragments of shell and white flesh drifted into the deep water around. Screaming in pain, Claw slumped over the controls as Knuckles let go of the spear, leaving it stuck in Claw's flesh. Scowling, the echidna leapt from the hull of the stricken ship and swan towards the sub. Sonic and Tails were already inside, and as Knuckles watched the tentacles holding it slid off, their power source gone. Swimming inside he watched Claw's ship drift down into the depths. Then, he entered the dry area of the hip and removed the suit.  
  
"How'd you make it Knuckles?" asked Sonic. Knuckles sighed.  
  
"I was lucky enough to drift into a column of oxygen bubbles. They revived me and I was able to make makeshift repairs to my breathing equipment." He pointed to a length of seaweed, tied round his breathing tube to hold it together. "You know the rest."  
  
"Well, glad you're OK buddy," said Sonic. "You too Porker!"  
  
Porker turned his seat round and smiled. "Well, we've wasted enough time here. Let's head to the Floating Island!"  
  
Sonic couldn't agree more.  
  
Claw winced as he pushed himself back into a standing position. His time was short. But he had enough time to make sure he finished the job he'd set out to do. Squinting through the darkness he picked out the sub. Preparing the ship's only two torpedoes he locked on to the sub. His claw tightened around the firing trigger. Wiping a piece of seaweed from his eyes he rotated the ship to face the sub. Goodbye. He was distracted by a sudden whistling sound and looked up, just as two of Porker's stray torpedoes entered the hole in the canopy.  
  
The explosion was deafening, throwing a huge plume of water high into the air on the surface of the ocean.  
  
And so ended the life of Captain Claw. 


	9. Chapter VIII: Preparations for War

Emperor Ko-Door, leader of the House of War, sighed as he advanced on the ornate doors to the Drakon Courtroom. A tapestry depicting a battle between Echidnas and Drakons dominated the door. In the centre stood a Drakon wreathed in Chaos energy. Nearby stood the figure of a blue hedgehog, a female Echidna and an elderly male Echidna. The tapestry depicted what Drakonian scholars called 'The Coming of Chaos', the battle that had begun the long war of attrition between the two races. Eventually the two sides retreated. The reasons behind this retreat were unclear to say the least, as the Drakons who had ordered the retreat had died while escaping offworld, and they obviously couldn't ask the Echidnas. Shaking himself, Ko- Door tightened his grip on his ceremonial staff. Such mysteries were for another time. Now they had much more pressing matters to attend to. Turning, he sent his two Prosecutor bodyguards away with a flick of his wrist. It was important not to show any weakness in front of Scholar. He would show the doddering old fool that he had no need of bodyguards. Checking to see that they had gone, Ko-Door thrust open the doors and entered the courtroom.  
  
The Drakon courtroom was of a circular shape. In the centre of the room was a huge sandy pit with two barred doors at opposite ends. At the far side of the pit stood a trembling group of newts, held in place by the firm grip of a Sentinel. Around the pit were rows of seats, occupied by disciples of the Houses of War and Knowledge. At the far end of the room was an enclosed seating area, occupied by three plush thrones. In one sat Scholar. The other was made for the other ruling House's leader, who had decided not to come. No business of hers she had said. The centre throne sat higher than the rest. His throne, Ko-Door thought. Striding across the room he took his place in the seat and gestured to the Prosecutor standing behind him. The heavily armoured Drakon stepped forwards and bent down to put his ear at the level of Ko-Door's mouth.  
  
"Switch on the vid-screens," whispered Ko-Door. The Prosecutor nodded and stood, striding back to the rear of the box to switch on the cameras. Those cameras transmitted images to the huge screens outside; around which were probably already gathered a huge crowd of citizens. As the cameras flickered into life the Prosecutor returned and bowed to the assembled masses. Ko-Door stood and a disciple of the House of Knowledge stepped forwards, holding a scroll that he now unravelled. "Read out the charges," said Ko-Door.  
  
The speaker cleared his throat and began. "On the morn of Detremas the 26th the accused entered the private chambers of the esteemed Master Scholar of the House of Knowledge, with intent to harm. The accused were then captured and placed into captivity. The charges are many. Attempted murder, insubordination, treason, desecration." The speaker then stepped down. Ko-Door spread his arms wide.  
  
"Bring on the Prosecutor!" he shouted. The doors opposite the newts began to open, and a heavily armoured Prosecutor stepped through. Spikes protruded from every area of his suit, and in his hands lay a large stone staff, moulded into a circle at one end. The other end was moulded into a hooked shape, and various ancient runes ran down its surface. This weapon was rare, and was only used in the trial of a traitor. One of the Sentinels standing beside the Prosecutor raised its hands and began to speak its lines.  
  
"Would the court now recognise Prosecutor Da-yetn, who has been appointed Prosecutor for the duration of this trial." The huddle of newts stepped back, only to be pushed back into the arena by one of the Sentinel guards. Ko-Door stood on his throne and made sure the entire court could hear and see him.  
  
"Let the trial begin!"  
  
A Sentinel stepped towards the newts holding five less ornate versions of the Prosecutor's weapon. Trembling, each of the newts took one, gazing with fearful eyes at the advancing Prosecutor. The Sentinels stepped to the edges of the arena as the Prosecutor began to pick up speed, raising his weapon as he did so. The newts scrambled as the Prosecutor slammed into them, his cruel weapon smashing one against the side of the arena, the others crawling and running away from him, often it seemed at the same time. Turning his head marginally, the Prosecutor smashed another newt's legs into pulp with one blow from his fist. As Ko-Door turned he could hear the murmuring of the court.  
  
"Look how the Prosecutor presses his case. The verdict has to be guilty."  
  
One of the newts leapt at its foe, smashing its weapon against the side of his head.  
  
"Look at the vigour which that one fights with though. Perhaps he is innocent."  
  
The Prosecutor shrugged off the blow and grabbed the newt round the waist. Bringing up one fist he began pummelling the newt. Finally, he dropped his bruised foe. The newt scrabbled at the dust of the arena for a bit, then lay still. Striding over to the newt embedded in the wall it pulled it free, then threw it on top of the fallen newt. Striding over to the newt whose legs were broken he did the same. The remaining two newts exchanged fearful glances and ran, scrabbling at the arena walls. Snarling, the Prosecutor leapt at one newt, smashing its head into the wall with one fist. As the newt slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood and brains behind, the Prosecutor sniffed in disdain. Bending down he picked up the newt's corpse, holding it as if it were some horrible piece of garbage, and threw it at the pile. The corpse slid along the ground to rest on top of one of the immobilised newts, who screamed as dead, white eyes stared up at it. Hearing footfalls behind him, the Prosecutor turned to face the other newt, who was running towards Ko-Door's elevated box. Scrabbling at the arena walls below the Emperor's box it begged and pleaded for mercy. Leering at the newt Ko-Door turned away in disgust. Extending one fist he extended his thumb at a horizontal angle. The newt began to beg on hands and knees as the Prosecutor drew closer. Scowling, Ko-Door rotated his fist to point his thumb downwards. Nodding, the Prosecutor drew its arm back and threw his weapon towards the newt at alarming speeds. The newt barely had time to scream before the weapon smashed through its spine, impaling it to the wall. Ko-Door turned to Scholar, who was smiling and clapping slowly. Turning back to the carnage he stood to address the court.  
  
"What is your verdict?" he shouted. A resounding cry of 'Guilty!' greeted his question. Smiling, Ko-Door turned to the Prosecutor.  
  
"The trial is over! The defendants have been found guilty! Carry out the sentence!"  
  
The Prosecutor nodded and placed both hands of his weapon. Pulling it free of the wall he pushed the corpse off the weapon with one foot. Stepping over to the pile of wailing newts he raised the staff above his head. Then, he brought it down, impaling each of the four newts through the midriff and sticking them to the floor. Turning, he bowed to the cheering court, then exited through the door he had entered from. As he exited four Drakons entered and scraped the corpses out of the arena. As the last corpse exited Scholar turned to Ko-Door.  
  
"An impressive display, Emperor Ko-Door," he said, placing emphasis on his title. Ko-Door scowled inside, but kept a straight face. "It is nice to see that justice still operates in this society," the old fool went on. "Well, I trust that preparations for war are now needed, so I will leave. I hope that you are ready for the war" As he rose, so did all the disciples of the House of Knowledge, bowing as he passed and following him out the doors. As the doors slammed shut behind him Ko-Door made an obscene gesture towards them, which was greeted by peals of laughter from his disciples.  
  
"QUIET!" he bawled, and the room returned to silence. Scowling, Ko-Door spun round and exited through the doors behind him. Striding through the corridors to his chambers he fumed. How dare that old codger insult him in his own House. Ko-Door had been trained to notice the Drakonian diplomatic insults and knew that Scholar's words had been full of them. Striding past statues of the past leaders of the House he pushed open his doors. Stamping through the anteroom he turned right and swung open a door. Striding out onto the balcony he gazed down at the massed ranks of his army. Thousands upon thousands of Sentinels and Prosecutor were loading into cavernous troop ships, each large enough to hold the populations of countries. Huge Master Sentinels were loaded onto ships with cavernous bellies. Small fighters whirled through the skies, blasting apart targets with pinpoint accuracy.  
  
Ready for war?  
  
He was more than ready. 


	10. Chapter IX: The Underwater Island

The pressure gauge in front of Porker's eyes steadily rose as the sub delved deeper in the darkness of the Mobian Sea. Rhythmic creaking sounds provided the only distraction from the suffocating silence that enveloped the tiny vehicle. The sub's lighting systems, some of the most powerful on Mobius, seemed dim in this darkness, revealing only small portions of the ocean floor at any time.  
  
Small chunks of vibrantly coloured coral drifted into and out of the lights. Small shoals of Nebulae; the living creature that the Orbinaut Badnik Series had been based off; drifted past, thin lines of flesh connecting their huge spiked appendages to the small round bodies of the animals. Every so often the seafloor would be exposed and titanic Angler Fish crept through the circles of light piercing the darkness. Every so often the seafloor would disappear under them, and there would be a moment of confusion as Porker attempted to relocate the seafloor. Turning back towards the drops revealed a sheer cliff face pitted with cracks and craters. Then Porker would turn the sub and the monotonous journey would continue.  
  
Every so often something would pop up to relieve the monotony: a colony of stromatolites, an underwater volcano spewing out smoke, a sparkling crystal bed. Then the sights would disappear into the gloom and the boredom would return.  
  
Eventually, after what seemed like ages, Knuckles shouted for attention, pointing at something on the seafloor. There, clear as day, lay the severed head of one of the Floating Island's Guardian Robots, lying slowly rusting in the sand. Immediately afterwards the seafloor dropped away sharply and Porker brought the sub into a nosedive, turning the lights up to full.  
  
There, illuminated in the darkness, lay the Floating Island. A shimmering sphere of energy surrounded the Island, distorting the view of the lush green forests and deep blue lakes. Damage seemed to be minimal, and the dome of energy seemed to be keeping the Island nice and dry. Sonic whistled and turned to Knuckles.  
  
"Well old buddy, there it is. Looks like this trip was worth it after all." He frowned when there was no response. "Knuckles?"  
  
The echidna jerked as if returning from a trance and looked over at Sonic. "Oh, yeah," he mumbled, then turned back to the window. Sonic frowned.  
  
"What's wrong? Don't tell me the 'mighty Guardian of the Floating Island' is overcome with emotion." Knuckles laughed then turned to the hedgehog again.  
  
"No, no. I'm just wondering how the Energy Shield is still working. The shields would have had some stored Chaos energy in them when the Island had hit the sea, but surely not enough to last it for two years." He turned back to the window.  
  
Before Sonic could agree, there was a horrible snapping sound and the sub lurched, throwing its passengers against the walls. Their suits cushioned the impact, but the force had still been enough to hurt them. As the sub righted itself Porker dashed out of the cockpit holding one of the Chaos Emerald boxes under his arm.  
  
"Everyone, abandon ship!" he yelled. Immediately Tails and Knuckles rushed for the remaining Chaos Emeralds, while Porker explained. "It looks like Claw's attack did more damage than I thought. The pressure's become too much and one of the damaged areas has given way. Water's flooding the engines and we're heading straight towards the Floating Island's side." Seeing his companion's questioning expressions he answered their most pressing concern. "Don't worry, the suits will protect you from the pressure. Now go!" he yelled, thrusting Sonic and Amy into the airlock and jettisoning it. As Knuckles and Tails appeared they entered the airlock and vanished as well. After taking one last look around the sub, Porker followed.  
  
There was a rush, a whistling sound, and then Sonic found himself buffeted by the currents in the deep ocean. Looking around frantically he noticed his companions nearby. Amy was drifting towards the Island, Knuckles had the Emerald box strapped to his back and Porker was just exiting the stricken sub. As Sonic was about to breathe a sigh of relief he noticed Tails ahead of him, struggling to swim away. Sonic was puzzled and looked back at the sub. Suddenly, a huge force thrust him towards the sub along with Tails, who had finally given up from exhaustion. Trying to swim away, Sonic was horrified to find that he couldn't. As Porker, Knuckles and Amy followed Sonic realised what it was. The current made by the sub's movements was dragging them along with it. Looking around for something to grab onto he was again horrified. They were swimming in the middle of nowhere. The nearest solid ground seemed miles away, and slowly disappeared out of reach as the sub dragged them down into the murky depths. Sonic turned to look at the sub, and swore again. The side of the Island loomed ahead of them, the current dragging them in towards the sub as it began its death dive. The explosion would kill them. Just after Sonic realised this, Amy collided with him and the two blacked out.  
  
There was a terrible crashing and smashing noise, a bright flash, then nothing.  
  
Sonic woke up to the feeling of hard stone, and water lapping around his ankles. Slowly he opened his eyes and took stock of his surroundings. Beside him he could make out the mangled wreckage of their sub. The cockpit had been forced back into the storage areas at the rear of the craft, and sparks still leapt from its stricken form. Looking down he found a light brown stone slope. Getting up he saw that the others were already awake and were clustered around the sub.  
  
"So, he finally wakes up," mumbled Knuckles, who was reading a scroll from the box of documents beside him. That thing always seemed to survive the most deadly situations. Wait.  
  
Suddenly it hit Sonic.  
  
"How did we survive?" he asked Porker. The pig nodded and pointed to a small hole in the side of the wrecked sub.  
  
"That was actually down to luck. A small Nebulae tore a hole in the fuel tank while we were going down. The fuel leaked out before we hit. Plus, the sub tore a hole in the side of the Island, which cleared the way for us. So, we were lucky." Sonic nodded.  
  
"Wait," he said. "You mean there's a hole in the Floating island?" He looked back to see a gaping hole in the wall behind. Water was gushing in, and already small fish had entered the area. "Where are we anyway?"  
  
Knuckles smiled. "Don't you recognise HydroCity Sonic?" he smirked. Looking at Sonic's face he answered his question from before. "Don't worry. The ancient Echidnas just for this sort of situation built HydroCity. The entire island was once actually in the ocean after all, so they needed a draining system when they started making it their stronghold. It was only when it entered the sky that it assumed its current form as a water recycling plant."  
  
Sonic sighed and walked to the water's edge, fishing out a small chunk of melted metal from the sub's remains. "But what does that have to do with us?"  
  
Knuckles smiled triumphantly. "Well, as this was an important part of the Floating Island, it obviously had passages connecting it to the Island's hub. And, it also has a passage leading to the Lava Reef volcano and ultimately, the Emerald Chamber," he finished. Turning he walked over to a nearby wall and placed his hand on it. Light streamed over the complicated sculptures that were attached to the wall, and there was a rumbling from deep within the island. Slowly, a large rectangular section of the wall began to slide back into itself, revealing a spacious passageway through the wall. Gesturing for his friends to follow him, Knuckles stepped into the passageway and began to walk down its length. Porker sighed and hefted up the Emerald Containers, following through the doorway. Slowly the party picked up their belongings and followed the two. Sonic stayed for a moment and looked back towards the water's edge. Already the water had made it up the slope and was creeping along the flat polished marble towards him. Frowning, Sonic turned and ran into the passage.  
  
Eventually the five companions exited the passageway. Sonic was one of the first to leave, and he recoiled at the sudden rise in temperature. It was boiling. Sweat streaming down his forehead as he realised they were on a ledge, seemingly carved out of the living rock, of which the chamber was made. Basalt by the looks of it. Basalt which glowed with a ghostly red light. Creeping to he edge of the ledge, Sonic peered over into the active crater of the Lava Reef volcano.  
  
Knuckles pulled him back from the edge quickly and walked over to a door fashioned into the cliff-face. "I trust you remember this Sonic?" he called out, before pushing the door open. Sonic did. It had been the entrance Knuckles had used to access the old Emerald Chamber, back at the time of the Death egg incident. Following that little conflict, Knuckles had moved the Emerald from the Hidden Palace to the current Emerald Chamber.  
  
Entering, Sonic was hit by a musty smell of rotting parchment. Knuckles wrinkled his nose and crawled through the cobwebs towards a small doorway, new in comparison to the rest of the chamber. Pushing it open he paused and turned to Sonic. Walking past the hedgehog he punched a hole in the wall, letting daylight stream through.  
  
"Why don't you wait outside Sonic," he asked. "The surge of Chaos energy will be massive when we returned these Emeralds. We don't want you turning into Super Sonic, especially without Ebony or the Omni Viewer around." Sonic nodded in understanding and climbed through, marvelling at the shimmering wall of energy high above him keeping out the salty waters of the ocean. Smiling he rushed off, eager to stretch his legs.  
  
After Sonic had gone far enough away, Knuckles turned to the remaining four and entered the new door. Emerging into the Emerald Chamber, Knuckles placed his burden down and ran to the consoles lining the room, pushing buttons and pulling levers.  
  
"Right guys, I need your full concentration," he shouted back. "Take out the Blue, Purple and Red Emeralds." Waiting until they had done so, he pulled three of the levers on the console before him. Light shot from the round pit in the middle of the floor, connecting with the ceiling to form a column of energy. "Now, put these Emeralds into the energy stream."  
  
Sonic laughed as he traced a path through the grassy plains of the Island, running up cliffs and leaping through trees. Pausing under a large oak he sat down and leant again the behemoth. He could wait here until the others were finished. Smiling, he nodded off.  
  
He was awoken by the sound of a twig snapping in the undergrowth nearby. Spinning upright he looked around for the hidden foe. A Badnik? How could a Badnik have got down here? He turned as he heard a scraping noise behind him, and was hurled to the ground by his unseen attacker. He watched as a tomahawk rose above him, and fell.  
  
Then he saw no more.  
  
Knuckles paused and turned to watch as the Master Emerald slid into the energy stream, slowly spiralling upwards to take its place in the middle of the rest. Slowly, they each began to pulse, and a multicoloured band of light began to move from them both up the column and down it. Slowly the Island began to rumble, and the hiss of propulsion systems could be heard. Bringing up a screen, Knuckles was just in time to see the Floating Island emerge from the ocean, and ascend to its place in the heavens.  
  
Knuckles began to laugh, and felt years of stress and anxiety slide off him. He was brought back to reality by a shout of surprise, and turned to see his companions wrestling in the iron grip of four shadowy, yet familiar figures. Slowly, one advanced on the surprised Echidna and extended its hand. Knuckles gasped as the figure came into the light.  
  
"Hello Knuckles," said Pochacamac. 


	11. Chapter X: An Alliance of Sorts

The skies above the Planet Drak rumbled and swirled, red clouds swept all before them and streaks of black revealed the thinning atmosphere. Vapour trails left by low-flying aircraft criss-crossed the turmoil, the white clouds contrasting the blood red skies. Thunder rolled as the red sun pulsed once again, its long death throes threatening to engulf the Empire's home world.  
  
Ko-Door frowned at the cosmic display, then turned to face the huge marble doors that shielded the interior of the Drakon Capital Building. His bodyguard stood ready as always, armour gleaming as a result of his vigorous training courses. His armies did not bother with stealth. And thus, his soldier's armour did not need to be dulled. He smiled at the carvings on the doorways. These carvings depicted the birth of the Drakon Race, as their ancestors hauled themselves out of the waters and saw for the first time the world above the waves. After that moment, the Drakon Civilisation strove to find a way to enter this new climate, and eventually they had developed the suits that allowed them to. It was at that moment that the future Drakon Empire was born.  
  
Shaking himself out of his reverie he tapped the cobbles with the hilt of his staff then stepped towards the doors. Hurrying ahead his Sentinel bodyguards placed their massive weight against the doors, pushing them open as Ko-Door advanced. Nodding to his bodyguards as he passed, Ko-Door strode into the conference room.  
  
Smiling, Ko-Door noted that his rivals were not yet here. A valuable titbit that he could use in his ongoing political war with them. Slowly he walked towards his box, letting everyone who had arrived see him. Waving to the cheering throngs he soaked up their adulation, and radiated his awe- inspiring presence across the hall. The cheers only grew louder and louder, and Ko-Door used them to mask his curses as he clambered up the overly high steps to his private box. Tripping once or twice he almost threw himself into his plush throne. Climbing onto the satin cushions he frowned down at them. Again the colour had changed, from scarlet to a bizarre shade of green. Obviously his cleaners were getting bored again. Sighing he tried to hide the embarrassing colours with his cloak and stared across the hall at his allies and rivals as they entered.  
  
Master Scholar was the first up, wrinkling his nose at the weird and wonderful colours on his personal throne. Ko-Door smiled. It seemed his cleaners weren't the only eccentric ones. Seeing Ko-Door's smile, the tall Drakon scowled and quickly sat, glaring at the Emperor. Ko-Door shook his head and turned to see Sister Haggra suspending one of the cleaners over her throne, barking at the struggling newt. Stifling laughter, Ko-Door stared across to where Dosaer stood, arms upraised. As silence fell, the thin, wiry Drakon began the introductions. As he did so Ko-Door slipped into a bored slumber, waiting for the old fool to conclude his ramblings and start the debate.  
  
"Firstly, the esteemed High Mistress of the House of Magic, Sister Haggra, will take the stand," said the old fool finally. Ko-Door shook himself awake as Haggra began speaking. Her voice rang out across the conference room and Ko-Door scowled, placing his fingers firmly in his ears. She was using her magic to amplify her voice again he thought wearily.  
  
"Thank you Chancellor Dosaer," Haggra croaked, turning to wave up a troupe of newts weighed down by a huge cauldron. Ko-Door sighed as he realised that she had brought out her so-called 'Vapours of Destiny' or whatever she called them. With a flourish, Haggra caused the mists to swirl and solidify, slowly forming a wavering hologram of the infamous Floating island. As it slowly rotated, Haggra turned back to her audience. Raising her hands for a silence that was already there, much to Ko-Door's disgust, she gestured into the mists.  
  
"Here you can see the area we have chosen as our entry point," she hissed. Her frantic movements disrupted the image and made it so that no one could actually see, and a snort of laughter escaped Ko-Door. With a scowl that could not just curdle milk, but send it running back into the cow, Haggra hurled another of her books at Ko-Door's position, missing as Ko-Door dove to the floor. Embedding itself deeply into the wall behind it hung open, one dislodging page stroking the face of a distraught Prosecutor that kept eyeing the projectile as he shuffled away. Ko-Door smiled down at Haggra patronisingly and Haggra made to grab another book.  
  
"Ahem!"  
  
The sound had come from Dosaer's box. Haggra blushed and put down the book, turning back to the image and being careful not the disrupt it. "As you can see," she began again, ignoring Ko-Door's taunts. "After much deliberation, my mages have decided on this peninsula." She pointed to a small outcrop of land on the edge of the island. "As a suitable landing point. From here we can drive a wedge through the city of Sandopolis and onwards to Megapolis City. This side of the island is shielded from the Island's defences, and will be a perfect landing point." Haggra finished and bowed out. Dosaer nodded in respect and turned to Master Scholar.  
  
"Next, the esteemed Master Scholar of the Houses of Knowledge has been working on the overall strategy for the conquest of the Planet Mobius. Master Scholar, if you would like to take the stand please."  
  
Ko-Door felt himself drifting off as Scholar droned onwards. His head bowed his began to snore, his body guards hurriedly muffling the sounds as the tall Drakon continued, pointing to details on a map of Mobius.  
  
Frantic shaking from his guards awakened Ko-Door. Opening his eyes, he found that everyone in the room was looking at him with a bemused expression on their faces. Haggra and Scholar were returning his previous patronising grins with their own, and Ko-Door sat bolt upright.  
  
"As I said before, would Emperor Ko-door like to deliver his progress report."  
  
Ko-Door cursed Dosaer for his rather short introduction, but took the stage all the same.  
  
"Esteemed ladies and gentlemen of the great Drakonian Empire," he began. He was cut off by a commotion from outside. Swivelling round his eyes narrowing as a droning chant reached his ears.  
  
"Freedom. Freedom. Freedom! FREEDOM!"  
  
Nobles cowered in their chairs as the chanting grew louder. Cursing the interruption, Ko-Door climbed the stairs to a nearby window and glowered in the direction of the cries.  
  
The streets of Royal Drakonia seethed with an ever-shifting mob of newts, bright white eyes catching the dull light of the dying star. Shouting numerous curses at the rebels for their horrendous timing, Ko-Door turned back to resume the conference.  
  
"What do we want?"  
  
"Freedom for newt-kind!"  
  
"Let your cries carry to the hard stones of those walls and hearts! Let us break them, and make them beg on their knees! Let us take what is ours!"  
  
Ko-Door quickly turned back. The newt horde was hefting weapons, huge artillery pieces rumbling through the streets. Each newt that moved held an ancient but effective projectile weapon, the Clallistr Sub-Machinegun if the Emperor remembered rightly. As he scanned his eyes up the living tide he noticed several heavy weapon pieces, including two.  
  
"INCOMING!" he yelled, as two wailing shells arced out of the sky, smashing into the walls of the Capital Building. Huge chunks of fractured masonry were torn free in the blasts, falling to the streets below as the tide reversed, bringing the artillery pieces forwards. As the newts recovered from the recoil, the newt leader stepped forwards.  
  
"Dictators and tyrants of the Drakon Empire, he began, reading from a battered data slate. The newt had his eyes closed, so he missed the various obscene gestures Ko-Door was making in his direction. "We demand our freedom. The population of newts that has built your Empire still lives in the poverty caused by your greed and selfishness."  
  
Ko-Door looked around for something to throw as the hostile voice droned on. His eyes alighted on a large leather-bound book and he strode over to it, picking it up.  
  
"The Art of War," he muttered as he strode back to the window. Suddenly a thought hit him and he smiled. Waving over one of his bodyguards over he whispered to the hefty Drakon, before sending him on his way. As two more shells pulverised the ancient stones and threw him to the floor he cursed and looked around for his rivals, who were calmly calling together their bodyguards. Haggra had set up a magical barrier around her and her disciples, which crackled with barely controlled energy. She was unmoving in the chaos that the other politicians of the Senate had descended into, scrambling over each other in a race for the door. Dosaer still stood on his plinth, his crown of office lopsided, banging some sort of wooden mallet against the plinth and calling for order.  
  
Silence descended as a sound reached the ears of the Senate. A repetitive sound, a mechanical sound. A sound that brought heart to the Senate. The sound of millions of footfalls in unison. The sound of salvation.  
  
As Ko-Door watched, thousands of Prosecutors and Sentinels rounded the sides of the building and began to arrange themselves in rows before the doorway to the great edifice. Standing, immovable, they turned their heads to face the rioters.  
  
A whimper came from deep within the newt mob. The leader stepped back, fear in his eyes, and waved a representative forwards. The newt took a few tentative paces forwards and activated the data slate he carried. Gulping he began to read from it in a quavering voice.  
  
"Our d-demands are s-simple. W-w-w-we d-demand."  
  
He never got to finish the rest of his stuttering sentence. There was a bright flash, a deafening crack, and the newt flew back, spread-eagled, with a surprised look on his face. His mouth open wide, showing wide rows of reptilian teeth trembling in his gums. Then, slowly, he came apart. His limbs were ripped away ever so slowly, the bones snapping as they reached their limits. Another shot struck him in the forehead, flinging his head back. The next shot entered through the base of his skull, blowing out the top of his cranium in a shower of bone fragments and grey matter. The newt's decapitated torso was catapulted over the heads of the leading newts, and landed in the mass of newts behind.  
  
A single Sentinel returned to his position.  
  
Ripples of panic swept through his band, and the newt leader felt the moment slipping away. In desperation he flung one arm forwards to point at the Sentinels.  
  
"CHARGE!"  
  
The mob threw themselves at Ko-Door's army, brandishing whatever they could find. Broken bottles, wooden clubs, chunks of masonry, and even bayonets from their old model rifles. Baying like beasts they swept at the immovable army.  
  
The Sentinels reacted as one. Bringing their arms back they pulled out their rune swords as one. The ancient weapons glowed as the focused light energy flew up their shafts. Then, with another deafening crack, it was unleashed.  
  
The entire front row of newts disappeared into a red mist as they were vaporised by the blasts. The sickening crunch of bone underfoot quickly reversed, as the deadly shots scythed through the newts behind. With one salvo, the backbone of the newt army was destroyed.  
  
They turned to run. A second salvo rang out, and the newts in front fell, gaping holes punched through their spines and out of their guts. As the disembowelled corpses collapsed, shrieks arose. As the corpses fell, a lines of fire was opened up leading right to the newts' ancient artillery pieces. A third salvo opened up.  
  
The newts manning the guns had no time to react, as 'fast-as-light' lasers punched into the loading tubes.  
  
With a howling gust of flame, the artillery disappeared, sending charred newts flying into the air, flailing their limbs helplessly. As the smoke clear the retreating newts screeched, as where there had been before solid ground there was now a gaping hole in the street, blocking all hopes of escape.  
  
The next salvo opened up.  
  
Somewhere, someone screamed.  
  
***  
  
Ko-Door smiled as he watched the remaining newts attempting to flee, as the merciless fire cut them down one by one. Raising his arms above his head he turned to his stunned audience.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you your army!"  
  
The cheers drowned out the rest of his speech.  
  
***  
  
There came the sounds of cursing from the large ammo crate that seemed to move of its own power across the hanger area. A whip lashed out from the shadows and a newt leapt from his post behind, whimpering as the Sentinels laid in with their shock-mauls.  
  
The group of Drakonian rulers ascended the ramp leading up to the mighty hull of the shuttle. Ko-Door caught a sight of the two massive laser turrets mounted under the wingtips. A modified fighter, this shuttle was to take them to the capitol ship, high in orbit above the rocky planet. It had been a massive undertaking. The capitol ship Caliagon had been so huge that constructing on the planet's surface had been near impossible.  
  
As the mighty titanium doors of the shuttlecraft swung shut behind them, Ko-Door smiled.  
  
The wait was over.  
  
The Emeralds would be his.  
  
The war had begun. 


	12. Chapter XI: Questions & Answers

Knuckles could do naught but gape as the ancient Echidna hobbled forwards, hands trembling as he brought his gnarled staff down upon the granite stones of the chamber floor. Bringing one hand up, Pochacamac turned back to his guards, their brows streaked with white war paint.  
  
"Release them. They mean no harm." He turned back to Knuckles. "You look surprised to see us Knuckles." The elderly figure smiled and extended a hand in greeting. Tears in his eyes, Knuckles reached forwards and clasped in as hard as he could. Pochacamac simply smiled and increased the pressure until Knuckles had to let go with a started yelp. "Same as always."  
  
A shout from the doorway interrupted the reunion, as a group of four Echidna's marched into the chamber, carrying a blue hedgehog on their shoulders.  
  
"Sonic!" cried Amy, reaching for her crossbow. A strong hand restrained her. She looked up into the eyes of a female Echidna, her skin lighter than Pochacamac's: a sort of creamy brown.  
  
"He is quite alright. Our warriors are quite skilled in the art of rendering someone unconscious without harming them." Pochacamac nodded in agreement with his daughter's words and turned to face the new arrivals.  
  
"You may let him go now," he said. "He is no threat to us." Nodding, the Echidna's lowered Sonic to the floor, one of them pausing to place a gloved hand on the hedgehog's head before retreating. Groggily, Sonic awoke, shaking his head to clear his vision. Opening his yes finally he gasped.  
  
"Tikal! Pochacamac!" He rounded on Knuckles. "What's going on?"  
  
"Easy Sonic," replied the ancient Echidna, hobbling up behind him. "Come. I believe I owe you all an explanation."  
  
---  
  
High above the planet, the void buckled and bent as something began to force the fabric of space apart. With a soundless flash, space itself ripped open. Through the tear came the bow of a huge metallic craft, pointed at the top and widening out to a rounded stern. Alongside the titanic craft came thousands of smaller ship, streaking by the capital ship's massive bulk and weaving colourful patterns in the darkness. Behind them came larger ships, drifting slowly from the tear as it closed behind them, coming in all shapes and sizes. As space returned to its normal shape, the fleet arrayed itself facing the planet Mobius.  
  
---  
  
"Welcome gentlemen, to the conference room."  
  
The chamber was circular, fashioned from the dull brown stone within the Lava Reef volcano. The table was of typical Echidna design, completely and perfectly circular, and inscribed with the angular tribal art of the race. A green jewel lay at its centre. Knuckles recognised it as an emerald from the mines, but that was all he could make out at that moment. His attention was fixed on the elderly Echidna facing him.  
  
"Now," said Pochacamac, when everyone had taken a seat. "I believe you all have questions, and I can guess what they are. 'Why are we here?' Well, let me start from the beginning."  
  
"After Chaos was sealed, the Drakon-Echidna War dragged on for many years. Our technology was completely outmatched by theirs, both in complexity and the aggressiveness with which it was used. However, we had simple primal skill, and over time a well-planned series of sneak attacks whittled down the Drakon army. However, during that time the land was laid to ruin below us. In desperation, our Echidna craftsmen fashioned an entire island of the middle of the Mobian Sea, under the guard of the entire Echidna army. Upon its completion, we Echidnas fled to it and, using the powers of the Chaos Emeralds took to the skies. This allowed us to avoid the majority of the Drakon Empire's attacks. Eventually, we engaged the Drakon Army in a huge battle upon the Sandopolis Plain and won a victory that forced the Drakon Empire to withdraw. We had won. However, though the Drakons were too damaged to attack us again for millennia, we knew that they would return. We decided to seal ourselves within these walls." He gestured to the entire room, and the Freedom Fighters looked up to see walls covered with tiny carvings of Echidnas, drab and lifeless. "We stored our spirits within these carvings and placed magical barriers to warn us if the Drakons returned. We awoke shortly after the Floating island fell from the sky, and set to work restoring the shield and rebuilding our shattered cities. That, in a nutshell, is our story."  
  
Amy frowned as the old Echidna finished. There was something fishy about his tale. Something in his manner. But she put it aside as paranoia and returned to listening.  
  
Pochacamac smiled and turned to Knuckles. "That is our tale."  
  
"How am I supposed to trust those who left me alone on this Island to rot," replied the red Echidna. Amy winced at the anguish in his voice. She agreed with him inwardly. There was no excuse.  
  
Pochacamac seemed to be taken aback, but he soon regained his composure. "I can only think that something must have disrupted my preserving magic enough to release you from the spell. It would have had to be an energy discharge of unimaginable strength to dispel incantations that old as well. It would certainly explain your bizarre memory loss"  
  
Sonic suddenly leapt up.  
  
"Of course! When Kintobor became Robotnik, there was a huge Chaos energy discharge. That must have done it!" He suddenly realised where he was and sheepishly sat back down, under the harsh glares of several hundred Echidnas.  
  
Pochacamac nodded. "That would explain it."  
  
"But what about Zachary?" demanded Knuckles.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"He's an Echidna too. And he still has memories of the Ancient Echidnas."  
  
"Wait," said Pochacamac, rubbing his temples. "I do remember a Zachary. A horrible little creature he was too. He was unpopular with us because of his experiments on the newly emerging Animaline race of Mobians. Eventually he was banished for trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds. I had him exiled to the very depths of the Floating Island itself. I have no idea how he could have survived."  
  
Knuckles sighed in disappointment. "Damn."  
  
"Anyway, I believe that's all at the moment. Now, would you care to be escorted to Megapolis City for accommodation?" Knuckles had just started forwards when an Echidna warrior leapt through he chamber doorway, scattered a few guards with muffled curses. Running up to Pochacamac he knelt to catch his breath.  
  
"My Lord," he panted. "There's something you should see."  
  
---  
  
Aboard the bridge of the Caliagon, Emperor Ko-Door scowled down at the blue-green planet below. The inhabitants of that world had foiled his plans once before. They would not do so again. Robotnik would pay for his treachery, and so would every other creature of that blasted world. He would have his revenge.  
  
All around the bridge, Drakon technicians bent over their consoles, tapping in multiple commands as they followed procedures to hold the ship steady. Ko-Door did not envy them. They could not feel the thrill of battle from up here. Beside him stood Master Scholar, and Ko-Door had a sudden urge to kick him through the bridge's protective glass canopy as he gave the Emperor a smug smile. So what if you designed this thing. It will be I who shall use it, you over-confident bag of skin and useless information.  
  
Ko-Door turned as Dosaer hobbled onto the bridge, supported by two cowering newts under each of his arms. In his right hand he held a spiked staff, with which he frequently prodded the newts to change direction and speed. Ko-Door rolled his eyes at the spectacle. He still had no idea why Dosaer had come on this expedition. The old coot would only be an obstruction. Nevertheless, as an act of courtesy towards the House of Diplomacy, he had allowed him to come.  
  
He turned yet again, feeling sheepishly like a merry-go-round, as a technician called his name. "Emperor Ko-Door," he repeated. "We have located the target, and have sent co-ordinates to the rest of the fleet. Shall we proceed with firing codes?"  
  
Ko-Door smirked and returned to his vantage point. His first action would be a bit of psychological warfare. With any luck they could break the Mobian backbone before the war had even begun. It would save a lot of time and effort, and with no Echidnas to back them up the weak peoples of Mobius would fall. Again Ko-Door thanked the stars that that ancient race had died out long ago. "Give the command to fire," he told the technician.  
  
This would be good.  
  
---  
  
As one, the massed guns of the Drakon fleet glowed, as laser energy built up in their barrels. The Caliagon spat the first shot. As one, the rest of the fleet fired. The glowing halo of death slowly descended onto the planet.  
  
---  
  
Smokey laughed as Richard plummeted down the slippery, muddy track that led to the Metropolis City Lake. Though his old Badnik friend had been destroyed in the EMP caused by the Black Asteroid's detonation, he had quickly befriended the robot's released animal battery.  
  
As Richard struggled up the muddy slope laughing jovially, Smokey turned his face to the sky and frowned at what he saw. A green glow bathed the atmosphere with an ethereal light, casting long shadows over the city.  
  
What's that?  
  
---  
  
The smoke rising from the small fire laced the air above Starlight City with contrails of wispy grey vapour, giving the assembled workers the impression of a choking and insubstantial roof above their heads. Smiling, Edwardo looked around the group. There, standing in the corner was Peter, known as Pete to his friends, smoking a huge novelty pipe. It was adding substantially to the smog above them. In the centre of their group lay a small campfire, set up in the middle of their worker' camp. Just down the street, Mobian children frolicked in the Starlight City Memorial Park. In the Town Square, the bell tower began to chime 4'o'clock.  
  
Amidst the festivities, Edwardo could just hear a low, subsonic hum. Looking up, he gasped at the lunar display taking place overhead.  
  
---  
  
Tux stopped in his rush to redecorate his small house, and turned his eyes to the sky. Over head, he could see the constellations of Orion and Ursa Minor, among others. Smiling, the penguin's eyes picked out his own star sign: Gemini. He sighed. He and Sonic had been old friends, even before Robotnik came along. He'd always set up little races for the wayward hedgehog, and watched as he dashed around the corkscrews and loop-the-loops of the Green Hill Zone. He'd even been saved by Sonic once from one of Robotnik's early plans, before he had became the Dictator of Mobius. He had been captured by the deranged scientist and taken to the newly created city of Robotropolis, which was quickly destroyed when Sonic arrived to rescue him from being boiled alive. He had never really become involved in the Freedom Fighters movement, preferring to act as the group's undercover arm.  
  
Looking up at Gemini again, Tux froze. A green ring arced across the sky, slowly turned downwards. As he realised its course, Tux began to run.  
  
---  
  
Smokey froze as the ring began to fall, leaving an emerald green energy trail as it spiralled towards the planet's surface. Crying out in alarm he ducked into a disused drainage pipe and lay there, shivering, as the hum steadily became louder.  
  
---  
  
Edwardo shouted to his friends as the ring plummeted to earth, casting a deathly pall over the planet. A guttural cry escaped his lips as he began to run.  
  
---  
  
The first shot of the Mobius-Drakon War fell on the centre of Starlight City on the 12th of November. The entire centre of the city blew out in a superheated cloud of flame and rubble, annihilating Edwardo's gang and propelling debris 10'000 miles above the planet's surface.  
  
The next 1'406'043 shots impacted a fraction of a second later, completely vaporising the whole of the City and its inhabitants, and scorching the land barren for miles around.  
  
---  
  
Pochacamac stood back from the edge of the viewing platform as the glow of the destruction of Starlight City tinted the horizon orange. As the rest of his companions stood there gaping, Pochacamac bowed his head and let a solitary tear roll down his cheek. He knew the signs of a Drakonian deep space bombing on a planet's surface.  
  
"And so, it begins once more," he whispered to himself. 


	13. Chapter XII: And So It Begins

High above the surface of the stricken planet, Ko-Door smirked down upon the steadily expanding halo of flames that was radiating out from the blast centre. Those fools down there would no doubt already be scared out of their wits. This would be easier than he had previously thought.  
  
"Send out a message to Planet Mobius. Deliver to them the terms of their surrender."  
  
One of the Drakons operating the massive ship looked up questioningly.  
  
"My Lord. What if they do not accept?"  
  
"Well then," laughed Ko-Door. "Then we wipe them and their pathetic planet off the face of existence. Don't we?"  
  
---  
  
The declaration rang out across the planet even as the stunned population watched the news clips depicting he vaporisation of Starlight City. Across the planet, millions watched as the gnarled visage of Emperor Ko-Door flickered onto their screens.  
  
"Citizens of Mobius," hissed the warlike Drakon. "Your planet has now been blockaded by the ships of the First Drakonian Armada. You have observed the example we have set. Our demands are simple. We demand the immediate handing over of the Chaos Emeralds, and the apprehension of all those connected with them. If you do not comply within the next 24 hours, we will begin landings on your planet. There will be no surrender from that point on. Make your choice."  
  
The image flickered off, and the echoes left by the booming transmission quickly dissipated, to be left with the stunned silence as the enormity of the past hour's events sank into the minds of the populace.  
  
Then the panic started.  
  
Huge mobs of terrified Mobians marched on the Mobian Government buildings, panic driving their actions, as they demanded that the government fulfil the terms of surrender immediately. Within the next hour, the membership of Doomsday Cults in Metropolis City alone quadrupled, as the blind terror drove many insane.  
  
The first battle of the War had been won by the Drakons, for the moment. The battle of morale.  
  
---  
  
High above, on the Floating Island, the last transmission flickered and disappeared. All eyes simultaneously turned to Pochacamac, who was leaning on his staff more heavily than ever. After a long pause, the ancient Echidna spoke.  
  
"This could be bad. The Drakons seek to undermine our support in the populace. Ready the Guardian Transports. We depart immediately for the Mobian Government."  
  
---  
  
Ko-Door leant back in his gilded Command Chair, smiling quietly to himself. He knew these creatures. The Echidnas would never have fallen for a ploy like that. They would have fought on until the end. However, they were dead now. Only two of their race remained to his knowledge, and the once-proud race had been replaced by the cowardly Mobians. Those self- serving, timid scum would not debate whether to accept for long.  
  
The war was all but won already.  
  
---  
  
The skies above Metropolis were now empty, save for ten small shapes drifting down upon the terrified capital. The shapes slowly came into focus as they cleared the low cloud layer over the city; a remnant of Robotnik's tyrannical rule. Bulbous golden heads sat upon the lithe robotic bodies, attacked to thin sheets of Metagel Fabric; light, but tough enough to withstand most threats. Gliding down towards the Metropolis Parliament, the shapes lowered their wings and dropped silently to the roof of the building, pausing only momentarily to regain their balance after the fall.  
  
The heads flipped open with a hiss of escaping air, revealing the occupants: Sonic, Tails, Amy, Porker, Pochacamac, Knuckles, Tikal and three Echidna Warriors. Leaping to the concrete rooftop, Sonic made towards the access ladder to the building.  
  
"This leads directly to the Presidents Office. At least, if you have the clearance."  
  
---  
  
Around five minutes later, the Prime Minister of Metropolis City found himself viewing his ten new visitors over his office table. Sonic the Hedgehog himself had been enough to secure clearance for the group, but the Prime Minister was not too sure about the Echidnas' motives. Still, he had seen enough in the last few hours to prepare him for almost anything. When a city of a million people is wiped out in the blink of an eye with no warning and no resistance, you tend to stop asking questions.  
  
"I cannot do this, Chieftain," the Prime Minister said, levering himself out of his chair. "I cannot knowingly lead my country into a war we cannot win."  
  
The Echidna leader slammed his fist down on the desk again, causing the PM's coffee mug to dance across the polished surface. "Dammit, man!" he said, through gritted teeth. "I have been over this before. The Drakons have no concept of mercy. If you surrender, they will simply take what they want with no resistance, then use the spoils of their victory to scorch this country bare!"  
  
"You cannot know this!" shouted the PM, drawing himself up to his full height.  
  
"Do not assume that I have no idea of what I do," hissed Pochacamac. "Do not assume I speak these words lightly!"  
  
For a few tense seconds, the two leaders faced each other across the room. Shaking his head, Pochacamac began to speak once more.  
  
"The Drakons first attacked my home two days after the Emerald Dawn festival. They had obviously been monitoring this world for some time, as they knew exactly what they were after. Their first move was a declaration of war, accompanied by the obliteration of Mount Emstrata through orbital bombardment." He sighed as if recalling some hideous memory.  
  
"At that time, Mobius was ruled from the ancient city of Echidnaopolis, on the Southern Continent. This city guarded the Sacred Emerald Mines, and was protected by several powerful shield generators, powered by the energy of the emeralds within the mines. My father ruled over this city, along with a Council of Elders, and it was he who first received the Drakonian declaration, and the terms by which the Echidnas would be allowed to lay down their arms."  
  
"My father was no fool. He knew that we Echidnas, with spears and rocks could not defeat this power. Not even with the help of the Guardian Robots. And so, he accepted the Drakon terms and prepared to surrender. One of the terms of surrender was the deactivation of Echidnaopolis' shield generators."  
  
"As soon as the shield collapsed, the Drakons opened fire. Aiming at key points in the city, the bombardment obliterated the capital, spared the Emerald Mines, and killed my father and the Council in a cataclysmic eruption of energy from the damaged power systems underneath the city itself."  
  
"I was spared by the simple fact that I was out hunting on the Hill Top volcano when the Drakons destroyed my home. From that moment on, I knew there would be no escape. The Drakons would kill us simply for existing. I became the leader of the Echidnas from that moment on. I will never forgive the Drakon Empire for its betrayal of our trust. Never. And they will do that here, given the chance. Just as they have done on countless other worlds. Your only chance is to fight."  
  
The PM stood glaring at the elder Echidna for a few moments more, before falling back into his chair with a defeated sigh.  
  
"You win, Chieftain," he said. "We have been going at this for over an hour, and I have seen too much today to doubt your words. You have won. Planet Mobius is now at war with the Drakon Empire."  
  
---  
  
Ko-Door looked up from his favourite pastime, sketching out the numerous ways his enemies would die, as Judge Mo-Toan walked over, an enthusiastic smile lighting his features.  
  
"What is it, Judge?" hissed Ko-Door. Mo-Taen's features lit up.  
  
"The Mobians have rejected the terms, Emperor," he said, gleefully. "They have declared war on the Drakon Empire."  
  
"Excellent," said Ko-Door. "I wouldn't want my soldiers to be deprived of their fun."  
  
"What should be done, Sir?" asked the Judge. Ko-Door smiled. He could see that the burly Drakon was barely keeping an urge to jump up and down in joy under control.  
  
"Why, put Plan Mandra into action, of course," said Ko-Door. The Judge nodded quickly in thanks, and then near ran back to his post.  
  
Ko-Door smiled. Finally, his plans were coming to fruition. Soon, the Emeralds would be his, and his alone.  
  
Planet Drak could burn for all he cared. Power was all he craved.  
  
It was time for a new age. An Age of Power. An Age of Conquest.  
  
An Age of Chaos. 


	14. Chapter XIII: Planetfall

**High above Planet Mobius, the Drakon Armada hung in the vacuum, motionless save for the slight rocking of the smaller ships as the solar winds of Mobius' distant star washed over them. A small red light flared on the port side of the _Caliagon_, then faded. The fleet began dropping closer to the planet, stopping at the edge of the swirling atmosphere.**

**First, the massive cargo bay doors of the _Caliagon_ began to slide open, followed by those of its sister ships, the _Lonarn _and the _Mescrato_. As the smaller ships lined up beside them, hatches began to open all over the fleet. Moments passed before a small green light flared brightly atop the _Caliagon_. Then, a swarm of landing ships vomited forth from the fleet, entering the Mobian atmosphere and dropping swiftly to make planet-fall on the rotating blue-green orb.**

**As the last ship left the fleet, the remaining vessels pulled back to their previous positions, watching the tiny specks of flame as the landing craft dropped towards the surface.**

**---**

**Captain James Fordry sighed again in frustration as his makeshift mosquito net again failed to protect him from the multiple winged biting insects that circled the Aquatic Ruins like an unruly mob, darting through gaping holes to get their claws into any bit of exposed flesh they could find. Swatting a particularly large mosquito with the back of his hand, James began applying insect repellent once more, adding to the thick coating already upon him which gave him the appearance of being laminated.**

**The fireflies had been out early tonight, arcing from high above the Ruins down behind the far hills to the north. At least, he thought they were fireflies. Still, probably nothing to worry about.**

**He frowned as a collection of bubbles rose from a nearby pool. Finally, the fish had come to feed. Grabbing his harpoon, James edged close to the water's edge, searching for his target. Then, in one smooth motion, he jabbed the harpoon down. Lifting it from the water's again; he pried the weakly struggling fish from the blade and placed it in a basket near his tent. Returning for the rest of the shoal, he headed for the next one along. Raising the harpoon above his head, he plunged it down.**

**The next instant, Captain James Fordry's right arm disappeared in a cloud of dull red vapour.**

**Screaming in pain, James fell to the floor and was immediately set upon by his intended target, a lithe Drakon who leapt from the pool and plunged its own blade into the back of the bear Mobian's skull.**

**As the Mobian's struggles ceased, Defender Le-Thra smiled and opened a com-channel to the _Caliagon_.**

"**The Aquatic Ruins have been secured. It is safe to begin landings."**

**---**

**_The grim news just keeps coming in _thought Pochacamac, as the first rays of sunshine on the horizon heralded the start of a new day of bloodshed.**

**Late the previous night, Drakon Empire forces had taken the Marble and Aquatic Ruin Zones with minimal resistance. No doubt they intended to restore their old bases on Mobius. It was a completely obvious move, but one which he and the other Mobian tacticians had overlooked during their meeting last night, where a plan of resistance had been drawn up.**

**The Drakon would almost certainly send a force to attack Metropolis City, in order to punish the Mobian people for their courage in rejecting their terms of surrender. The force would almost certainly land to the west of the city, in accordance with Drakonian religious and cultural traditions. And it would be likely that the Drakons would attack in short harp bursts, in order to prolong the misery of the Mobians.**

**And so, Mobian forces had begun to entrench all around the city, especially on the western side of the city, over the great Metropolitan River. The Drakons would likely spend time planning their first move, allowing a decently defensible network of trenches to be built up, extending back to the city. They should be able to hold.**

**However, the main bulk of the Drakon army would certainly be directed at the Floating Island, and the Chaos Emeralds. Preparations were already being made for a mobile war, the type of warfare that the Echidnas excelled in. Traps all over the island were being reset by the finest engineers they had, after being tripped by numerous intruders over the years. The old force of Guardian robots was being rebuilt to allow all those experienced in their use to pilot one, and thus bring out its full potential. And he, along with the other Echidna leaders, was preparing for combat. The Drakon leaders would likely lead the attack, and Pochacamac would be damned if they got to the Emeralds without first going through him.**

**Hopefully, the Echidna's home advantage would lead to a swift conflict in which they would hopefully triumph, allowing them to attack from behind the Drakon attacks on Metropolis and elsewhere, and trap them between the Echidna army and the defenders.**

**At least, that was the plan.**

**Hopefully Drakon tactics hadn't changed that much in the past few millennia. Which, judging by their impressive battle record, seemed to be the case. After all, if the tactics worked, then there was no need to change them.**

**And the Drakon tactics definitely worked.**

"**Are you OK, Father?" Pochacamac turned from his musings to find Tikal standing nearby.**

"**It's late Father. Get some rest, please," she urged. The elderly Echidna smiled and nodded.**

"**You are right, Tikal," he said, fondly. "The sleep will do me good." A smile replaced Tikal's worried expression, and she left, closing the stone door behind her.**

**Turning back to the balcony, Pochacamac looked out upon the landscape of Mobius far below once more, watching as continents disappeared over the curve of the planet.**

"**I fear it will be the last chance I get, before the storm breaks."**

**---**

"**Charmy, get out!"**

"**Oh diddly-pooh, Vector. You're no fun."**

"**I'm warning you..."**

**Espio began reaching for the Charmy-Removal Broom as the argument went on. Ever since the whole Crimson Cobra incident, things had been quiet in New Tek City. The Chaotix Team wasn't needed as much anymore, as the New Tek Police Department had finally managed to catch a criminal. Thus, Planet Meridian's numerous superheroes had lost many potential clients due to the new-found competence of the police.**

**And so, distractions from Charmy's ramblings had become few and far between.**

"**Oh, don't be a spoil-de-sport, Vector!" yapped Charmy again.**

"**Charmy. Just be quiet for once. Please," muttered Mighty, surfacing from the mounds of discarded crisp packets on the sofa. **

**As usual, he was ignored by Charmy.**

"**You'd think you'd be more grateful, after I saved from that nasty Crimson Cobra!" Charmy retorted, sulking.**

"**Oh, for Pete's sake..." Espio began, grabbing the broom and advancing on the annoying bee.**

**For a second, bright light filled the room. The next instant, the opposite wall blew inwards, debris narrowly missing the Chaotix Team. Espio was flung backwards to the floor; the broom flying out of his hands and hitting Charmy in the face, hurling the bee across the room to put a large hole in the balcony screen door.**

**Picking himself up, Vector followed Charmy. To see if the bee was all right, and also to find out what was going on.**

**As he threw the ruins of the screen door back into the room, he gasped at the sight outside.**

**A huge cloud was descending from the sky, consisting of millions of vaguely humanoid forms. From the distance between the skyscraper Vector couldn't tell what they were, but he knew that they were bad.**

"**Oh. Diddly. Looks like rain," mumbled Charmy as the crocodile dragged him back into the Chaotix Tower, before running to his lab. Rushing up to his worktable, he whipped the cover off what at first sight appeared to be a large computer chipboard. Tugging wires from the back of the board, he began working on the innards of the object.**

"**Come on, Omni. Time to bloody wake up," muttered Vector quickly, activating the construction and stepping back. Electricity flared across circuits as the object rose from its resting place, swivelling to reveal the stylised features of the Omni Viewer.**

"**What is it, Vector," he hummed, hovered up to the crocodile.**

"**No time to explain," shouted Vector, as the swarm of foes engulfed a nearby skyscraper, reducing it to rubble in a matter of seconds. "Head to Mobius. Get help. Tel them that we're being invaded by... something, I don't know what."**

**Taking a quick glance out the window at the horrific scenes outside, the Omni Viewer nodded and, in a blue flash of light, disappeared. Satisfied, Vector rushed back to the main room to join the rest of the team, already on their way to the hanger.**

_"**Going somewhere?"**_

**Vector span round to face the owner of the voice. A cloaked shape hung in the centre of the room behind him. Or at least where the room had been. The entire room had been torn away from building by some silent force, and lay in pieces on the streets below.**

"**What the?" Vector began, before a beam of light leapt from the thing's chest and clipped his left side, sending Vector spinning. As the thing hovered closer, Vector dimly noticed a clawed hand emerge from the cloak; the thing raising it to strike. The cloak slid away at the last moment, revealing the thing's face.**

**Vector was dimly aware of a loud, roaring sound just before the claw descended.**

"**Metall..." he croaked, before the darkness took him.**

**---**

**As darkness fell over Plant Mobius, the last of the Drakon landing craft touched down, unloading its distinguished cargo before firing its jets and returning to the fleet hanging in orbit over the planet.**

**On the ground, Emperor Ko-Door watched as the ship sped towards its destination. His two counterparts had already landed. He had remained on the _Caliagon_ long enough to establish the new chain of command, leaving fleet command to the Judge of the Imperial Air Force, Ai-Har. He was an accomplished leader, and the fleet would be unlikely to come up against serious opposition anyway.**

**He smiled. The Drakon engineers had worked fast. Already they had restored the old Drakon Palace to habitable status, and numerous other buildings were being rebuilt even at that moment.**

**Swiping at a newt that scuttled in front of him, he crossed the palace threshold and wrinkled his nose at the smell of rotting fabric. Numerous tapestries lined the walls. All were falling apart, tiny marine creatures crawling through the rotting seams. Even the Drakonian fabric; which was extremely resistant to water damage, had been eaten away by the countless centuries.**

**A Drakonian Solicitor stepped out from a nearby alcove and bowed to the Drakonian leader, before leading him to his rooms.**

**Eventually they reached them, after wandering through the meandering tunnels for around a quarter of an hour. Waving away the Solicitor, Ko-Door pushed open the heavy stone doors and entered.**

**His rooms were still mostly undecorated, as they had only just been restored to safe condition. Moss coated most surfaces, giving the room a homely feel to the Drakon. After all, Planet Drak was rather lacking in water due to the apocalyptic turn that its star had taken. This planet would make a lovely retirement home after the parasites who believed they owned it had been exterminated. After a quick inspection of the large spherical area, Ko-Door exited. Waving to a newt to fetch his personal belongings from the shuttle he stalked off towards the briefing room. Or at least, in the vague direction which he believed the briefing room to be in.**

**Eventually he located his destination and swept in, winging a newt slave with the quickly opening door. Kicking the newt for good measure, Ko-Door took his seat at the triangular table along with his counterparts. Numerous aides to each of the three Houses lined the walls, clutching parchments and data tablets to their chests in a bizarre mix of old and new technologies.**

"**Ah," hissed Haggra. "Glad you finally decided to join us."**

"**A pleasure as always, Haggra," Ko-Door hissed back, taking care to remove her title as he did so. Taking some satisfaction at the look of complete rage of the old bag's face, he called over a aide and took some documents from the overloaded Drakon. "Formalities aside, we must begin planning this invasion."**

"**I'm glad you finally brought that up," muttered Brother Scholar, tapping the table top. A large holographic map of Mobius appeared, convincing Ko-Door that the table was not part of the original furnishings. Pointing to a point of the Planet's surface, the wizened Drakon continued.**

"**Though our armies can easily defeat our enemies piecemeal, if we allow them to unite their strength our task would become much harder. From what I've heard of this Guardian and his robotic helpers, his knowledge of how the Emeralds function could turn the tide of the war. Therefore, I propose this." He paused as the map of Mobius zoomed in on Metropolis City. "The majority of the enemy forces facing us lie within this city. Though they are numerous, their technology is outclassed by ours. If we deployed a third of our forces to tie up the forces operating here, then we could concentrate the majority of our strength on attacked the Floating Island and recapturing the Emeralds. Though the assault on the city would be textbook warfare, the assault on the Island would not. Sister Haggra, if you please?"**

"**Thank you," replied Haggra, with a certain degree of sarcasm. Bringing up a map of the Floating Island, she unravelled a dauntingly long parchment and began to read directions from it.**

**Ko-Door sighed. This could take a while.**


End file.
